For many in York County, property taxes going up – School districts emerge from tough budget season with tax increases, cuts and wage freezes.

(York Daily Record – July 9) York, PA – For most school districts in Pennsylvania, budget season was about tax increases, program cuts, staff furloughs and wage freezes.

Many school boards have acted in recent years to make operations more efficient, said Thomas Gentzel, director of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. But everything done in those years was aimed at relatively low-hanging fruit, he said.

“This year, we were really seeing boards cutting to the bone of the educational program,” he said.

In York County, most districts — all but five — raised taxes. (see graphic on next page) Read the rest of this entry »