Property tax increases are to be expected in most school divisions even though the mill rates are dropping by about 1.25 mills on average. To date, the SSTA knows of only two school divisions that have raised their mill rates. About two thirds have lowered their mill rate, while others have held constant. Reassessment has had an impact on many boards of education. Tax increases from reassessment vary substantially, from two per cent to five per cent for the most part, but in some cases may reach 10 per cent or more.
Most increases are the amount required to balance the board s budget.
These are the boards with higher tax increases even though their mill rates may be on the low side. In the last budget the basic program recognition was 74 per cent of the total, while this year it is 72 per cent. Adjustments decreased for isolated schools and sparsity by 5.3 million, or 48 per cent and 14 per cent respectively. Transportation fared about the same as the adjustments with a .2 per cent decrease in the share of recognition. As noted previously, special education recognition increased by 1.4 per cent of the total to 9.27 per cent.