Morgan Cushey
Jun 27, 2018
Belle Vernon School Board Monday passed a 2018-19 general fund budget that will result in a tax increase, employee furloughs and reduction in the hours worked by the district’s social worker.
The final budget for the 2018-19 school year totals $38.5 million, an increase from last year’s budget of $37.1 million. This budget includes a tax rate of 84.25 mills in Westmoreland County, a 2.61-mill increase from last year, and a millage rate of 20.15 mills in Fayette County, a 0.625-mill increase.
Business manager James Dzurica said the retirement system contribution rate increased this year from roughly 32 percent to 33.43 percent.
“Our state funding is pretty flat. We didn’t really see any increases in the state subsidies,” Dzurica said.
He said the district is aiming to bring more students back from cyberschool. He said Belle Vernon has 73 students enrolled in cyberschool, costing it roughly $923,000 a year.