According to a new statewide survey in Pennsylvania, property taxes are rising, along with class sizes, while reserve funds and staff levels are falling and academic programs are being cut.

The annual survey conducted jointly by the Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials was released last Wednesday and its findings contained few bright spots for public education in Pennsylvania.

Key Findings

Of districts surveyed…

  • 77% raised taxes in the current school year.
  • 33% reduced staff.
  • 37% made some kind of academic program cut.
  • 70% predicted they will need to increase property taxes in the 2017-2018 school year.
  • 94% expect that their district’s financial situation will be the same or worse next year.

The remedy most reviled, and yet most often enacted on the local level to address these financial ills, are…

Read the Article  Survey Results

Source: The Mercury