The Palisades School District board has authorized a tax increase of 0.87% for the 2021-2022 school year, which translates to a median annual household increase of $30.90.
The action was taken by unanimous vote at the June 2 public dial-in school board meeting. During the nine-month budget process, the board had previously authorized as much as the maximum 3% allowed by the state for this year without a public referendum, but was able to work it down to the 0.87%.
The level of increase was typical for Palisades for the last few years, as in years prior when there was no increase.
The board has followed a theme of routine small increases to avoid sudden large increases, with a total of only a 5.1% increase since the 2011-2012 school year.
Costs for support of pensions and private-sector charter school tuition have increased at far higher rates, and in very significant volume, during the same period.
An innovative special fund that developed many years ago has enabled the board to cope effectively with dramatically increased pension costs, while many other school districts were forced to raise taxes significantly. Pressure from sharply increased costs each year from tuition payments for private-sector charter school enrollments has been cited by officials as the key driver for the most recent tax increases.
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