KC Board Passes Budget with 1.78% Partial Tax Increase

By Christopher Miller

BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP – The Keystone Central School Board voted in favor, Thursday night, of a partial 1.78% millage tax increase for the 2025-2026 school year. This increase amounts to $25/year for the median assessed home value of a home within the confines of the school district.

The general fund budget, amounting to $92,820,554 for the upcoming school year, increases the mills for the district residents in the following counties:
Clinton County 14.41 mills
Potter County 55.98 mills
Centre County 46.28 mills
Cutting expenses was on several board members’ minds during the comment portion of the voting meeting.

“We can cut expenses by cutting out the silly stuff and bringing the budget down,” board member Chris Scaff said. “We spent $20,000 on an LED sign, one rug with the school logo on it in the hallway cost $1,795, we spent $3,300 on a party…we can curb our expenses, but I cannot vote for a tax increase on businesses and residents when we are buying whatever we want.”

Board member Elisabeth Lynch then spoke, citing how the Pennsylvania School Board Association (PSBA) recommends that school boards work with their administrators to focus on a section of the budget each month to make cuts and review expenses.

“I think it would be in the best interest of the district if we work on the budget together and we have it directed at things that are a priority, like the safety and education of our kids,” she said.

Board member Butch Knauff also spoke up, expressing how the federal and state governments are making it hard to balance a budget with funding being cut in those areas.

“I feel really bad about it, but we need to keep up with inflation and we need to get the state to live up to their constitution where they say we get “a free public education” for our children.”

Jeff Johnston also spoke up against the tax increases, expressing his displeasure in cyber charter schools spending taxpayer dollars “on big items like gift cards and physical buildings.”

“Why does a cyber school need a building for,” he asked. “I don’t want to increase taxes but we are in a position where we don’t have much of a choice here. It doesn’t thrill me at all because my taxes are also going up along with everyone else’s.”

Thinking of the future of the district if drastic cuts were made, board member Tracy Smith posed the question about cutting entire programs.

“If we were to cut the arts, CTC, athletics,” she said, “we would be taking away any free electives the kids want to learn and it would hurt the district so much going back to the bare basics. You’re talking about millions of dollars that would have to be cut to not have to raise taxes. Full programs would have to be cut and it would hurt everybody.”

Lastly, board member Roger Elling spoke up, stating that previous boards did not raise taxes and that money “is lost forever” and that the district “will never get it back.”

“We opted for a lower, partial tax increase where down the road we will have a consequence for doing. With partial increases this district will eventually go broke and then the state will take it over and mandate that taxes be raised to the absolute highest limit that they can. If it is not done this district will be run by the state,” Elling said.

Board members Dr. William Baldino, Elisabeth Lynch, and Chris Scaff voted against the tax increase. Board member Tom Cannon was absent from Thursday’s Voting Meeting.