Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Of Teachers’ Strikes and Base Year Assessments
You might have heard that there will be another teacher strike in Pennsylvania soon as the Hempfield Area School District braces for a walkout. That’s no surprise there since Pennsylvania regularly leads the nation in strikes by public school teachers, thanks to the very lopsided power arrangement that is tipped to the side of employees.
But here is the interesting angle that might have been missed vis a vis Allegheny County’s never-ending grappling with property assessments and the Executive’s insistence that a base year is the way to go because it will keep Allegheny County on par with the surrounding counties, including Westmoreland, where the Hempfield Schools are located. Westmoreland is on a base year and has not reassessed since 1973.
The school board has stated publicly that approving the five-year agreement would require a 3 mill increase each year of the contract. That would boost the district’s millage above nearby districts and increase the budget, which was $72 million in the 2005-06 year.
Obviously, having a base year does not protect taxpayers against rising tax burdens. Hempfield taxpayers are about to learn this if the contract is eventually passed. Similar experiences have taken place in Butler County, which has a base year, where tax rates have increased to pay for rising school costs.
The Executive’s argument that a base year will protect taxpayers is just an illusion.
But here is the interesting angle that might have been missed vis a vis Allegheny County’s never-ending grappling with property assessments and the Executive’s insistence that a base year is the way to go because it will keep Allegheny County on par with the surrounding counties, including Westmoreland, where the Hempfield Schools are located. Westmoreland is on a base year and has not reassessed since 1973.
The school board has stated publicly that approving the five-year agreement would require a 3 mill increase each year of the contract. That would boost the district’s millage above nearby districts and increase the budget, which was $72 million in the 2005-06 year.
Obviously, having a base year does not protect taxpayers against rising tax burdens. Hempfield taxpayers are about to learn this if the contract is eventually passed. Similar experiences have taken place in Butler County, which has a base year, where tax rates have increased to pay for rising school costs.
The Executive’s argument that a base year will protect taxpayers is just an illusion.
