AASD approves smaller-than-expected tax increase

Average homeowner to pay about $36 more per year

The Altoona Area School Board approved a general fund budget with a smaller tax increase than planned.

The board was unable to get the votes for a proposal to raise property taxes 5.9% to the Act 1 index set by the state and adopted a 4.9% increase instead.

The board split 4-4 on the 5.9% increase.

Voting yes were: Frank Meloy, David Francis, Chris Cook and Ron Johnston. Those who voted no were: Eric Haugh, David Greenwood, Kelly Irwin Adams and Val Mignogna.

Stephanie McGinnis was absent from the meeting.

Mignogna made a motion to set the tax increase to 4.9%, and Francis seconded it.

After another roll call vote, the budget was passed 5-3, with board members Irwin Adams, Haugh and Greenwood still voting against it.

This time Meloy, Francis, Mignogna, Cook and Johnston all voted yes.

Business Manager Camilla Houy said the average increase for taxpayers would be about $36 versus the $40 it would have been with the 5.9% hike.

Irwin Adams said that she realizes the need for a tax increase, but feels the district is spending money with disregard for balancing the budget.

"We are doing salary increases; we are spending on a lot of wants and for that reason I can't justify the increase," she said.

Irwin Adams said she has been on the board for six years and the expenditures have risen about $22 million in that time.

Salaries and benefits have increased $10 million, and the cyber school can account $3 million to $4 million.

"I feel like we need to find a way to keep the additional cost to a minimum before we continue to spend -- our ESSER funds are going to expire next year and then we are going to be at about a $7 million deficit along with the fact that we have used about $25 million of our reserve funds since I've been on the board," Irwin Adams said.

She said that is the reason why she voted no against the budget.

Francis said the only way to balance the budget is to get rid of personnel.

"You have in this budget, elementary school guards, you have to revamp the buildings so the guards can be there, we have to have personnel -- we have a lot to do and it is not cheap," he said.

The district is bringing people in at a cost to compete with other districts, Francis said.

"We are losing people to other school districts because they pay more -- so we have to retain what we have," he said.

"I'm going to vote yes for these taxes -- I don't want to do this, but we have to do it," Johnston said.

Mignogna said he was willing to vote to increase taxes but not willing to go to the max.

"Call it a silent protest, it's a public protest -- I have a strong issue with the way the state mandates us to operate and we don't even know how much we will get," he said.

Mignogna estimated that there are only 16 school districts in the state that are under 10 and AASD is well under 10 mills, but it will not get that for a long time even if it did increase taxes to the max.

In other business, the contracts for assistant superintendents were approved for Haley Fleegle and Mark Harrington starting on July 1, 2023, and ending on June 30, 2027.

The board also approved a resolution authorizing the retention of counsel for litigation against social media companies.

"We are joining in with this lawsuit with many other school districts and we will see how it goes," Meloy said.

He said other school districts in Blair County have already signed on.

"It would be great if we were able to put some curbs to social media and what they are doing to kids," Meloy said. "I don't know where it will go because we are dealing with some big corporations that have top notch lawyers."

In his report at the end of the meeting, he announced that this was the last board meeting with Superintendent Charles Prijatelj, and said the board would miss him.

Prijatelj responded by expressing his gratitude to the board and the public.

"We made some tough decisions. Everything was done to make the district strong and ensure the success of students," he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith is at 814-946-7535.