Taxpayers can expect to pay on average $103.41 more annually, which breaks down to $8.62 more monthly and $1.99 more weekly, under the 2017-18 preliminary general fund budget for Northampton Area School District, as presented at the Jan. 9 board of education meeting.

Based on 2016’s average property assessment in NASD of $58,094, the average annual tax bill would be $3,080.14 for the 2017-18 school year. That’s an increase from the $2,976.74 average annual tax bill for the 2016-17 school year.

Millage would increase 1.78 mills, from 51.24 mills to 53.02 mills. That’s an increase of 3.47 percent.

The 2017-18 preliminary budget lists expenditures of $102,814,673, with revenues of $97,102,316, resulting in a deficit of $5,712,357. To offset the revenue shortfall, in addition to the millage increase, $875,000 would be taken from the committed fund balance and $2,920,000 from the unassigned fund balance.

NASD Superintendent of Schools Joseph Kovalchik emphasized the “preliminary” nature of the budget that he and NASD Business Administrator Terry Leh presented. The budget could change in upcoming discussions by the school board before final approval, which is due June 30.

A vote on the preliminary budget is expected to be on the agenda of the next school board meeting, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 23, which is being moved from the usual location, the district administration building, 2014 Laubach Ave., to the cafeteria of Northampton Area High School, 1619 Laubach Ave., to accommodate an expected large turnout to honor the NAHS Big “N” Band for its second straight state championship band competition win.

“It’s the lowest that we’ve come in at in the last 10 years,” Kovalchik said of the preliminary budget tax hike percentage. “But we’re going to do our due diligence to get that number down.”

The 2017-18 state-mandated index for NASD is a 3.1-percent increase ceiling. Kovalchik said as in previous years, the administration would ask the board at the Jan. 23 meeting to approve for the district to apply for an exception with the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), which has been granted but not implemented by the district.

“It’s a safety net,” Kovalchik said.

“It will be a constant dialogue between the board and administration,” Kovalchik said. “Our ultimate goal is to get a 0-percent tax increase. Whether we can do that we’ll find out in the next few months.”

Kovalchik listed the administration’s goals for the 2017-18 school year.

“The goals are important because the budget ties into those goals,” Kovalchik said.

Kovalchik and Leh emphasized about 67 percent of the budget is composed of fixed costs in salaries and benefits. There were 378 professional staff of 642 employees listed in the 2016-17 budget. That’s a decrease over several years. For example, there were 403 professional staff of 673 employees in the 2011-12 budget.

Kovalchik said the district has 31 fewer positions through retirements and not filling certain positions but without furloughs (layoffs).

Another fixed cost in the budget has to do with Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS), which has increased to 32.57 percent of an employees’ salary in 2017-18, up from 30.03 percent in 2016-17, a 12-percent increase in the budget. The rate is set by the PDE. School districts are required annually to pay the mandated percentage.

Additionally, NASD must earmark $3 million, which is an 11- percent increase in the 2017-18 budget, for students attending charter and/or cyber schools, which are advertised as “free” even though districts must pay for per-student allocations.

“Not one of them (charter schools) has met the threshold,” school Director Dr. Michael Baird alleged. “It seems unfair that we are paying for failing schools.”

“Until the state does something to rectify the situation with charter schools and PSERS, we are going to have the same discussion year after year,” Kovalchik said.

“As you know, we have a new president. We have no idea where this is going,” Kovalchik added.

School board Vice President Chuck Frantz warned, “Our incoming president’s choice for secretary of education is in favor of charter schools.”

President-elect Trump’s U.S. Department of Education nominee, Betsy DeVos, has promoted school voucher programs and expanded school choice.

“What’s really scary,” Baird added, “is vouchers because they can go to any school in the state. Then you don’t even know what your enrollment is.”

About 5,600 students attend NASD schools.