West Jefferson Hills: Preliminary budget won’t raise taxes

By ERIC SEIVERLING

eseiverling@yourmvi.com

West Jefferson Hills School District officials are preparing to adopt the final budget for the 2020-21 school year, which doesn’t include a tax increase.

At the school board’s work session Tuesday, Director of Finance Tracy Harris presented preliminary numbers for the budget, which the board plans to adopt with any necessary changes at its next meeting at 7:30 p.m. June 25.

According to Harris, the final budget is $57,178,296, with revenue projected at $54.8 mill-ion.

The board is preparing to set the millage rate for the 2020-21 school year at 21.447 mills, the same as last year.

Harris said there are still numbers that need to be adjusted.

“We’re still looking at the revenues as they are coming in to see if COVID has affected us in any way and if we need to continue to reduce the revenues for next year or if we can project the revenues at an increase for next year,” she said. “So a bunch of this is still in the works.”

According to the preliminary budget, overall revenues are projected to decrease $3,545,733, or 6.38%, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and loss of local revenue. 

Expenses are projected to increase $1,930,850, or 3.48%.

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