Posted: Sept. 2, 2009

Franklin — A Franklin School District resident with a home valued at $200,000 can expect to see a $62 increase in school taxes this fall as residents have approved a 2009-10 budget that includes a tax levy hike of 3.9 percent.

About 25 district residents approved the $30.6 million levy at the district's annual meeting last week. Because some factors have not yet been determined, the budget could change between now and when it becomes official later this fall.

Some of those aspects still up in the air are total enrollment, finalized state aid numbers, the assessed valuation of the city and the value of the growth of tax-incremental financing districts, which allow municipalities to borrow money for improvements at blighted or environmentally damaged sites.

The tax rate is expected to increase by 2.9 percent, to $11.35 per $1,000 of assessed property value.

The district's total operating budget will be about $49 million, a 2.4 percent increase over last year's $47.8 million budget.

School Board member Dave Szychlinski said it was a tough budget to prepare in light of the recession, especially given many residents' own financial battles.

"We know that people are struggling, many people in our community have lost their jobs, and yet we have an obligation to prepare our young people for their futures," he said.

The district was forced to make some tough decisions because of losses in state aid, and officials made about $833,500 in cuts, he said.

Next year will likely bring more cuts, Szychlinski added.

Officials also decided not to begin a 4-year-old kindergarten program after the state withdrew funding for start-up programs.

The district picked up about $379,700 in additional revenue by adding 67 seats through the state's Open Enrollment program, which allows non-resident students to attend Franklin schools.