Bethlehem school taxes likely to rise for the 1st time in 2 years to help close budget hole
Updated Apr 20, 2021;
The Bethlehem Area School Board endorsed closing an $8 million 2021-22 budget hole by tapping its savings account and raising property taxes for the first time in two years.
The board held a finance committee meeting Monday evening where it discussed its $305 million spending plan and a new state school funding reform campaign.
The school board has held the line on property taxes for the last two years, but it can’t afford to do that this year, board President Michael Faccinetto said. He suggested taking about $4 million to $5 million from the district’s $32 million fund balance and closing the rest of the gap with a tax hike. This keeps the savings account within a board-set threshold, while scaling back the increase in taxes, he said.
Stimulus offers Bethlehem schools shot at cleaner air
Updated Mar 16, 2021;
The Bethlehem Area School District plans to use its estimated $49 million in federal stimulus dollars to accelerate the replacement of six schools’ HVAC systems and to combat COVID-19 related learning loss amongst its students.
The HVAC replacements at Farmersville, Miller Heights, James Buchanan, Calypso and Hanover and Governor Wolf elementary schools have been languishing for years on the district’s capital plan, which calls for the eventual replacement of all of its HVAC systems.
Bethlehem’s been tackling an HVAC replacement or two a year to spread out the cost and has weighed taking out a $10 million bond to fund HVAC projects.