Details about this story

• Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
• Date: June 03, 2007
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Dan Hardy
• Topics: Education
• Data Types: State Data
• Description/Excerpt: A law enacted last year promising Pennsylvania voters a say on tax increases for school-district budgets has so far failed to deliver. The May primary was the first opportunity since the passage of Act 1 for state residents to vote on budgets with tax hikes above a state-set inflation index. But only three districts out of 501 had to put their budgets up for approval, according to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. Residents said no to all three; none was in the Philadelphia region. Though Act 1 contains some spending limits, they are so generous that 80 percent of the state's school boards can raise property taxes higher than the inflation rate, and in some cases they can impose double-digit tax hikes - all without voter approval. For years, taxpayers statewide have complained about rising taxes and growing school budgets, which in the Philadelphia region total $7.4 billion this school year. Local taxes fund $4.7 billion of that, with state and federal funds picking up the rest. They have good reason to be concerned: School spending in much of the Philadelphia region has outpaced inflation over the last five years, an Inquirer analysis of data for the 64 districts shows.