What will you pay if PA's school pension problem doesn't get fixed?

7/20/2014

A HEADLINE IN ITSELF!!!: Local paper actually legitimizes Gov. Corbett's pension reform concerns!!!

The pension problem.

We’ve heard about it from school boards, legislators and Governor Corbett. But exactly how much are public school pension costs rising, and what does it mean for taxpayer pockets?

With another budget season over, and no changes to the Public School Employees Retirement System, Lancaster Newspapers examined the numbers.

Related: A guide to Pennsylvania's taxpayer-funded pension crisis

Pensions costs are scheduled to keep increasing before leveling off in 2019. By that time, expenses at local districts and IU13 are projected to be five to nine times as high as they were in 2009.

That leaves school boards with more unpleasant choices about cutting programs or raising taxes, or both.

The graphic below shows what tax hike would be needed to cover just pension cost increases by 2019. The numbers range from $98 to $301 for median homesteads in Lancaster County school districts.

And that’s only one piece of a school budget, says Penn Manor Business Manager Chris Johnston.

“(The pension increase) does not buy supplies, equipment, utilities, maintenance of buildings, transportation or support learning in the classroom.”

Here’s a deeper look at the data. See "School pension costs: how we did the math" to learn how we came up with these figures.

SCHOOL PENSION COSTS

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