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) All but two eliminated some positions, even if only by not replacing some who retired or resigned.

Many employee groups took wage concessions of some sort, and most districts dipped into their fund balance to help.

“It was extremely difficult,” said Dennis Younkin, director of finance and support services for York Suburban School district. There, officials and the community worked since September to come up with budget reductions and revenue enhancements in order to balance, he said.

“It was basically a revenue resource driven process that … I’m sure will be again for 2012-13,” he said.

Gentzel said districts had prepared for a drop in state revenue, but most were surprised at the depth of cuts the governor proposed. And a loss of local revenue because of the economic downturn hit many districts with a “double whammy,” he said.

Legislators had promised mandate relief, he said, but none came. A package of bills had included one to allow districts to furlough teachers for economic reasons, but it did not pass.

Gentzel said some longtime school board members he knows became very emotional at the depth of cuts that were necessary.

“It’s one thing to control spending,” he said. “At some point we have an obligation to provide quality education for children.”

[NOTE: Columbia Borough School District’s “budget is funded by real estate millage of 25.37 mills, no increase over the 2010-2011 tax rate ($.2537 per $1,000 of assessed valuation of taxable property).]