LOWER PROPERTY AND SCHOOL TAXES

Over a quarter century ago, lawmakers passed a funding policy known as “hold harmless” which mandates that school districts cannot receive less funding than they did the year prior. The problem we face is that the Poconos at the time was a vacation destination, not the land of developments it has become today. Back then for comparison, school children from Philadelphia with larger populations were covered by the state at a 70% rate, with taxpayers covering 30% of the cost. In the Poconos, students were only covered by the state at a 17% rate with local taxpayers covering 83% of the remaining costs. Fast forward to today and these levels have not drastically changed over the years.