While property owners in four West Hills public school districts will need to dig a little deeper into their pockets to pay their taxes this year, those in the Montour School District will skate by yet again without seeing an increase.
District officials confirmed that for at least the 10th straight year, Montour will maintain its current tax rate for the 2026-27 school year.
District Superintendent Christopher Stone, in a letter to the community, referred to it as a “milestone that reflects our ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility and respect for our taxpayers.”
Montour and the other four West Hills public school district boards of trustees are scheduled to formally adopt spending plans for their respective districts this month. The dates for those budget adoption meetings are as follows:
- Carlynton: Tuesday, June 16
- Cornell: Thursday, June 18
- Montour: Thursday, June 18
- Moon: Tuesday, June 23
- Sto-Rox: Wednesday, June 24
Three of those districts – Carlynton, Cornell and Moon – will have board meetings prior to the scheduled budget adoption meetings, with Cornell meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 8; Moon at 7 p.m. Monday, June 8, and Carlynton at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9.
Carlynton Superintendent John Kreider said last month that while the district board approved a proposed final budget that calls for roughly $40 million in expenditures, “we still have work to complete before presenting the final budget for adoption.”
That proposed final budget called for a 4.41% increase in the millage rate, from 28.5082 to 29.7627. Kreider wouldn’t comment on the impact that increase would have on local property taxes when asked about it following the board’s adoption of the proposed budget on May 12.
“Several variables may change over the next 30 days, including final revenue projections, expenditure assumptions and other budgetary adjustments,” Kreider said in an email. “For that reason, I do not want to provide figures that could change before the final adoption.”
Several residents took to social media to express their feelings about the proposed budget. One commenter questioned what the district would gain with the tax increase and what it would lose if it were to hold the line on the millage rate.
“If this increase is only going to salaries and bills, I say no,” the commenter wrote.
Board member Reece Smith, who voted against the proposed budget at the May 12 meeting, said district administrators would give a presentation on the budget at Monday’s 6 p.m. meeting.
Smith said Saturday he voted against the tax increase because the district already ranks among the top four tax millage rates in Allegheny County.
“Our people can’t really take it anymore,” he said. “A lot of them live on fixed incomes, and we have a lot of working-class people living paycheck to paycheck.”
Smith said the 4.4% tax increase is larger than wage increases or cost of living adjustments that most people receive. He said he’d like to see a breakdown from district administrators that shows what would happen if the proposed tax increase either wasn’t approved or was reduced. He said community members might not be as upset or frustrated if there was more transparency in the process.
“It’s my hope to dig deeper and see what’s under the hood of it,” he said, referring to Monday’s work session.
Cornell’s proposed $19.4 million budget calls for a 4.2% tax increase, which is the equivalent of a 1.1689 millage hike, bringing the millage rate to 29.0006. This would mark the sixth straight year that the district raised taxes.
For the average home in the district, next year’s tax bill would be about $2,137 — $111 more than this year.
Aaron Thomas, Cornell’s superintendent, said the current financial situation means the district is planning to hold back on some capital projects and taking a hard look at staffing levels.
“We will look at responsibilities and roles so we don’t have to add any new staff members,” Thomas said. “We just need to be very mindful of how we are spending in all categories to put us on a more solid financial ground.”
Although Montour is holding the line on its tax rate in building its $84 million budget, Stone said the district is navigating through some financial challenges.
“Montour is currently experiencing what can best be described as a ‘perfect storm’ related to property assessments,” Stone wrote in a letter to the community posted on the district’s website. “A significant portion of our tax base consists of commercial properties, many of which have successfully appealed their assessed values.”
That has resulted in substantial revenue losses for districts like Montour, Stone said.
“Despite these challenges, we remain committed to maintaining financial stability without compromising the quality of education our students receive,” Stone said. “Through careful planning, cost management and innovative approaches, we continue to prioritize student opportunities while protecting our community from increased taxes.”
Moon Area also has seen a loss in tax dollars for the same reason as Montour, as current assessed values decreased from the prior year by more than $32 million. That has resulted in the loss of nearly $800,000 in tax dollars, according to a district budget presentation prepared in March.
The district is proposing a 3% tax increase, which would generate about $1.95 million in additional revenue for its $105 million budget.
District Superintendent Jason D’Alesio said the increase is needed to help offset rising costs in such areas as special education services, salaries, healthcare, utilities and other mandated expenditures. The district also will need to absorb additional athletic rental expenses during the 2026-27 school year because of ongoing construction at the high school stadium.
For a home in the Moon school district valued at about $161,600, the annual tax bill would be $123 higher than it was this year, or $4,208 in total. For a home valued at $250,000, the increase would amount to about $190 and the total tax bill would be $6,510.
Sto-Rox, which was placed on what is known as moderate financial recovery status by the state in July 2021 after experiencing multiple years of operating deficits that depleted its financial reserves, is proposing to increase taxes by about 1.57% for its $42 million budget.
For those owning property in the Sto-Rox district valued at $50,000, the tax increase would amount to about $25 a year if the board approves the scenario at the June 24 meeting. For homes valued at $100,000, the increase would amount to $50 and for those with property assessed at $150,000, the increase would be about $75.
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