Another no-tax-hike budget in the offing for Keystone Central
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP, PA – Property owners in the Keystone Central School District are looking at another year of no increase in their real estate taxes. District officials offered a brief update on a proposed 2022-23 budget at Thursday night’s board work session.
According to Superintendent Jacquelyn Martin, the district is looking at an $82.467 million blueprint for the fiscal year starting July 1. She noted that amount is almost half a million dollars less than the current year. The budget is part of the agenda for next week’s voting session; it is unchanged from the document first announced in March.
Real estate taxes and the earned income tax and net profits tax would remain at their current levels for next year if the board gives a first approval next week and final approval in June. Affected are taxpayers within the school district, mostly in Clinton County but also Liberty and Curtin townships in Centre County and Stewardson Township in Potter County.
Board member/facilities committee chairman Jeff Johnston reported on recent tours of schools within in the district and said board members were pleased with the conditions of most of the buildings. He said an outside consultant is preparing a report on district schools and said Liberty-Curtin Elementary in Blanchard is most in need of attention and indicated the board is looking forward to that report from Crabtree Rohrbaugh and Associates. He said an athletic facilities report is also due back soon; in addition to athletic facilities placement, he said, that report will also look at traffic flow.
Relative to bills for payment in May, Johnston took note of the more than $150,000 a month going to cyber charter schools and expressed dismay at the current state charter school law. He said that law provides for no accountability as to how local tax dollars are spent. Superintendent Martin said the issue as pertains to Construction Trade program dollars will soon be discussed with state Sen. Cris Dush. The district has been among those pushing to change the state school charter law in Harrisburg, so far to no avail.
The board favorably received an extensive presentation on projects performed by the district’s construction trades students, viewing a slide show prepared by Nathan Akeley and Joseph Caimi, with program students describing the variety of projects.
