Bellwood-Antis eyes tax hike

Move would cost $80 more per person if district OKs highest level

BELLWOOD -- Business manager Greg Gates presented a 2023-24 preliminary budget for Bellwood-Antis School District, featuring two scenarios based on state funding levels and a tax increase.

During the board meeting Tuesday night, Gates said he hopes to have more exact figures at next month's meeting.

"We budget with the numbers we know right now, and it is a challenge with not getting information for another six months at the latest when the state finalizes and passes their budget," he said.

Gates projected district expenses for 2023-24 will be $20,835,493, an increase of 1.5% over the current year's expenses of $20,527,382.

If state funding increases, revenue is projected to be $20,429,933, with $405,560 from the district's fund balance being used to balance the budget.

If state funding remains constant, district revenue would drop to $20,010,186, with $825,307 used from the fund balance to balance the budget.

Both scenarios assume that the district increases taxes to the Act 1 Index, which is 5.7% for the next school year.

Gates said he expects the official budget will fall somewhere in the middle of the two scenarios.

The local revenue could be about $7.5 million with the assumption that the district will increase the real estate tax to the index.

If the district votes to raise the taxes to that level, it would cost an additional $80.21 per person.

The budget includes $8,995,796 for salaries, $5,939,174 for benefits, $1,050,839 for purchased services, $1,945,460 for other purchases and $1,141,258 for other funds.

Gates said the top budget pressures for schools include charter school tuition payments, special education costs and adequate state funding.

The budget constraints fall in line with that, he said, with special education being on average $1.2 million underfunded by the state.

Costs for cyber charter school for the 2021-22 school year was $378,000.

"If we did not have to pay for cyber charter school tuition or if we were reimbursed by the state, we would have turned a surplus," Gates said.

Athletics are about $350,000 underfunded, he said.

Gates said as of June 2023, the district will still have approximately $13 million in debt remaining from previous years.

BASD was able to save about $388,000 by not replacing the personnel for three retired positions.

"This is just a preliminary budget, and I hope to have even more exact figures in May," he said.

Mirror staff writer Cati Keith can be reached at 814-946-7535.