Harrisburg School District Lincoln Administration Building
School property taxes will likely remain the same for Harrisburg residents in the coming year.
The Harrisburg School District proposed its $211.7 million 2024-25 budget this week, a spending plan that does not include a tax increase.
Since taxes would not rise, they would remain at 30.78 mills. The last time the district hiked taxes was in the 2022-23 year, bumping them up by one mill.
Stokes noted that Harrisburg taxpayers who qualify for the Homestead Exemption may actually see a decrease on their tax bill in the coming year, as the district expects to receive increased state tax relief funds.
This year’s budget is projected to see a decrease from the 2023-24 actual budget of $222.8 million, mostly due to the district having fewer federal COVID-relief funds to spend this year, said Dr. Marcia Stokes, the district’s chief financial officer.
Within the district’s budget, the largest expenditures would be spent on salaries and benefits for employees, debt payments, charter school tuition costs and renovations and HVAC replacements, the last of which are largely funded through the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.
The district has estimated that it would pay $29.1 million to charter schools this year.
Stokes highlighted the fact that Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed legislation that would put a cap on the price that districts pay to charter schools. While Stokes said that the district didn’t factor that into the budget because of the very low likelihood of passage, if approved, it would mean a $7 million savings for the district.
The proposed budget would use $8.5 million total in ESSER funds. This would likely be the last year that those funds are available to use in the budget, Stokes said.
The district is slated to vote on the final budget at a meeting on Thursday, June 27.
For more information, visit the Harrisburg School District’s website.
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