NORTHAMPTON, Pa. — Northampton Area School Board on Monday approved a $140.7 million final budget with a 4% tax increase.
That tax hike will bring in $3.2 million more in revenue and increase the millage rate to 58.52 mills.
The average taxpayer will see their annual school property tax bill increase about $140 from last year.
"I think the administration does a great job with that."Doug Vaughn, Northampton Area school director
Some eligible homeowners will only see their school tax bill increase $110.93. That’s taking into account a homestead deduction of $198.40 for properties participating in the program, which is funded through state gambling revenue.
Even with the 4% tax increase, Northampton Area has a remaining $555,867 budget deficit. The district will draw on its $18 million fund balance to close the gap.
Meanwhile, the district still is waiting to hear from both the state and federal governments about funding allocations.
A divided board
Though the budget passed, it didn’t get unanimous support from school directors.
The final 2025-26 spending plan was approved in a 5-4 vote.
Directors Michael Baird, John Becker, Parker Flamisch, Ross Makary and Doug Vaughn voted in favor of the budget.
"I think the previous board did a horrible job, not slowly increasing taxes over the years – 1% here and there, people can adjust to it much easier than a 4% blow."Nathan Lichtenwalner, Northampton Area School Board vice president
Board President Kristin Soldridge and Vice President Nathan Lichtenwalner, along with school directors Joshua Harris and Brian McCulloch, voted against it.
Vaughn said he supported the 4% tax increase and praised the district for keeping tax increases low in previous years.
“I think the administration does a great job with that,” he said.
Vaughn said it was possible to keep taxes low in the past because of millions of dollars in additional revenue brought in by reassessments of undervalued taxable properties, resulting from district appeals.
In the previous four budget cycles, the average tax hike was 0.63%. There were two years without tax increases, and in 2021 and 2024, there were 1.5% and 1% increases, respectively.
But Lichtenwalner said raising taxes should be done gradually. He told LehighValleyNews.com the 4% tax increase is too high.
“I think the previous board did a horrible job, not slowly increasing taxes over the years — 1% here and there," he said. "People can adjust to it much easier than a 4-percent blow."
Lichtenwalner also said the tax hike will hurt older residents who are on a fixed income.
Proponents of spending cuts
Soldridge and Harris both told LehighValleyNews.com they didn’t support the budget with the 4% tax hike because the district should have cut more expenses instead of relying on taxpayers.
Despite a $3.1 million spending reduction plan, Soldridge and Harris said there was still room in the budget to cut expenses.
Specifically, they pointed to the $270,000 the district will continue spending to help fund Northampton Area Public Library.
The board considered reducing or cutting that funding last month, but ultimately the majority of school directors voted to keep the expense in the district’s budget.
At Monday’s meeting, the school board appointed school directors to serve as representatives at the public library’s meetings to maintain communication between the two entities.
Those representatives are directors Flamisch, Harris and McCulloch.
