Schools

School Board Approves Act 1 Exception

The exception would enable the district to increase spending by as much as 3 percent, instead of the Act 1 mandated 1.7 percent.

 

The Council Rock School Board on Thursday authorized the district's administration to apply for an exception to the Act 1 index.

The Act 1 index is the limit a school district is permitted by state law to raise taxes. The index for the 2012-13 budget year is 1.7 percent, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Find out what's happening in Newtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The approval by the board allows the administration to simply apply for an exception that would enable the district to increase spending by as much as 3 percent. The district will seek the exception for the increase in the district’s payments to the Public School Employee Retirement Fund.

According to figures provided by the district, the Act 1 index of 1.7 percent represents an increase of $2.27 million from the 2011-2012 budget.  The exception would permit the district to budget an additional 1.3 percent – or $1.7 million. 

Find out what's happening in Newtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Superintendent Mark Klein said just because the board is authorizing the exception does not mean the district will increase taxes to that level.  “In the end, the deliberation and passing of the budget will happen in June,” Klein said.

In a press release published on its website last week, the district said: “While the Board of School Directors is not obligated to use this exception or even the taxation threshold of 1.7 percent, the presentation and adoption of this preliminary budget in January provides the greatest opportunity for flexibility in difficult economic times.”

Board member Paul Anagnostakos voted no.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here