Gateway adopts 2024-25 budget with 1.21 mill tax hike

The Gateway School Board adopted a final 2024-25 budget in June that includes a 1.21 mill increase in property tax rates.

Expenditures in the $94.8 million budget are down just under $1.4 million from the 2023-24 budget.

Millage will increase from 22.8507 to 24.0684 mills. Under the new rate, a home with an assessed value of $100,000 will have a $2,406.84 school tax bill. For the district’s median home valuation of $111,500, it will mean a $2,683.63 tax bill this this coming school year.

Just over $1.6 million from the district’s unassigned fund balance will got toward balancing the 2024-25 budget.

In other business:

• The board approved a four-year contract with Guy Rossi to serve as superintendent through June 30, 2027.

Rossi replaces William Short, who took a leave of absence in June 2023. Short began as a teacher in the district in 1992, eventually becoming high school principal and assistant superintendent before being named superintendent in 2016.

Rossi was the assistant superintendent at Plum Borough School District from 2011-2016.

• The board approved a new collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Union Local No. 205. The agreement runs through June 30, 2028.

Among the changes in the agreement are updates to rates of hourly pay for union employees working in custodial, maintenance, food service, secretarial, clerical and aide positions.

The employee contribution toward the cost of health insurance also was adjusted in the new agreement.