A tax increase is on the horizon for Panther Valley taxpayers.
The school board will meet June 12 to vote on exactly how high the tax rate will rise.
According to district Superintendent Rosemary Porembo, the board's June 12 agenda will list two tax increase options between which the directors will choose - a 2-mill increase or a 3-mill increase.
Funds generated by the tax hike will be used to begin paying off the debt associated with district plans to construct a two-story pod of classrooms where the high school swimming pool is currently located.
The new wing will contain 12 classrooms, which Porembo said will allow the district to eliminate the 12 modular classrooms that are currently in use as fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms at Nesquehoning Elementary School.
The construction project is expected to be complete in time for the 2015-16 school year, which will include a reconfiguration of building assignments that will keep students in kindergarten through third grade at the Nesquehoning building. Grades four through sixth will move into the middle school facility, and grades seven through 12 will be located at the high school. Students in grades 7 and 8 will be assigned to the newly constructed wing.
Initially, school officials expected the cost of constructing the new wing to run about $5 million, Porembo said. But recently solicited bids came in about $3.8 million - significantly lower than anticipated.
Still, Porembo said the tax increase is needed next year to fund not only the construction project but also increases in overall cost of operating the district.
"I think the board of directors has been very prudent the last several years to avoid a tax increase. There has been no tax increase for the last three or four years. The increased millage the directors are considering is just the normal progression to keep up with the cost of living. And it's to benefit the students," Porembo said.