Does School taxes in Pennsylvania may soar to pay for pension promises?”
School taxes in Pennsylvania may soar to pay for pension promises By Debra Erdley TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, November 1, 2009 Think your school taxes were high this year? Start saving for 2012-13. That’s when Pennsylvania property owners will pay a lot more money to cover the generous pension bump state lawmakers awarded themselves, school employees and state workers in 2001. The money, an estimated $558 per property owner, won’t build classrooms, pay teachers or buy textbooks. And it’s only part of the bill. Lawmakers will have to come up with an estimated $4 billion to cover the state’s tab — the entire employer pension contribution for state employees and half of the employer contribution for school workers. Actuary Rick Dreyfuss, a senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation, calculated costs for taxpayers at every school district in Pennsylvania based on numbers supplied by the school pension system and the Department of Education. Although the local obligations in individual dist
hink your school taxes were high this year? Start saving for 2012-13. That’s when Pennsylvania property owners will pay a lot more money to cover the generous pension bump state lawmakers awarded themselves, school employees and state workers in 2001. The money, an estimated $558 per property owner, won’t build classrooms, pay teachers or buy textbooks. And it’s only part of the bill. Lawmakers will have to come up with an estimated $4 billion to cover the state’s tab — the entire employer pension contribution for state employees and half of the employer contribution for school workers. Actuary Rick Dreyfuss, a senior fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation, calculated costs for taxpayers at every school district in Pennsylvania based on numbers supplied by the school pension system and the Department of Education. Although the local obligations in individual districts might be slightly higher or lower because of state subsidies, taxpayers will pay for the local obligation one way or
