NASD Proposes Tax Hike, Staff Cuts in Latest Budget

According to The Times Herald, the school board unveiled their proposed final budget for the Norristown Area School District Monday night. The $130,179,620 budget reportedly includes a 2.55% tax increase (an average increase of $99 in real estate taxes) and the elimination of 18 teaching positions.

The teaching positions cut include:

• Seven (7) Special Education positions;
• Three (3) Family & Consumer Science positions;
• Three (3) high school Math position position
• One (1) middle school Physical Education position;
• One (1) high school Physical Education position;
• One (1) high school English position;
• One (1) high school art teacher; and
• One (1) high school Lead position.

Some of the teaching positions are being eliminated because they were funded by a grant the district no longer has.

"A number of the teachers were hired under a grant program for Small Learning Communities. We no longer have that grant or that program," Norristown Area High School Principal Jeff Smith told the board, according to the Herald.

The proposed budget would also add three new full-time and two part-time positions at the elementary level to accommodate growth of the student body. It also institutes a six-month hiring freeze on five district positions and several changes to district employees' status. 

The school board is scheduled to adopt the proposed budget at the Tuesday, May 29 meeting and send details to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) for approval. The final budget (including possible changes suggested by the PDE) is expected to be adopted in June.

Read more details about the position changes and proposed budget here on The Times Herald's website.