Central Bucks School Board Passes Budget With Tax Increase

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Central Bucks School Board approved a budget for next school year at its Tuesday meeting that raises taxes for the first time in six years.

The board voted 7-2 to pass the budget, with board members Leigh Vlasblom and Daniel Ring voting against the spending plan.

The budget includes a 1.5 percent tax increase, which will result in $3.4 million in additional revenue for the school district. For a homeowner with a market value home of $350,000, the tax hike amounts to a roughly $74 annual increase.

Business Manager Brian Loftus presented the spending plan to the school board on Tuesday.

The largest driver of the district's revenue is real estate taxes, which makes up about 65 percent of the district's total revenue, Loftus said.

The district is also benefitting from $6.2 million in state gambling revenue, as well as roughly $3.5 million in federal funding from the 2021 COVID-19 stimulus package.

"This is one time money that's not going to be returning," Loftus said of the federal funding.

The budget also increases salaries by 2.3 percent. Salaries makeup about 80 percent of the district's budget, Loftus said.

The district is also allocating $10.2 million for capital projects, including the Central Bucks West High School HVAC project, $3 million to provide funding for a 1:1 laptop program and other technology initiatives, and $750,000 to purchase replacement transportation vehicles.

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