Paul Hyde

phyde@greenvillenews.com

The Greenville County School District administration has proposed a tax increase of 2.3 mills in next year’s budget.

That translates to a $34.50 annual tax increase for a commercial property worth $250,000 in Greenville County, according to school district officials.

Likewise, an owner of a $20,000 car in Greenville County would see an annual tax increase of $2.76.

Homeowners would see no tax increase, however, unless a home is used as rental property. Under Act 388, taxes for school districts’ general fund are not levied on owner-occupied homes in South Carolina.

The tax increase would be felt by business owners, car owners, and owners of rental property.

School board trustees are blaming the proposed increase on state lawmakers who’ve handed the school district unfunded mandates.

“They (lawmakers) take the credit for it and put the burden on the school districts,” said trustee Lynda Leventis-Wells. “They put us between a rock and a hard place. They look great and we look like the ones who are raising everyone’s taxes.”

Leventis-Wells said, however, that she would likely oppose the millage increase.

“At this point, I cannot support it,” she said. “I’m not one for raising the millage just because we can. We have to be smart about what we do and see if this is really needed at this time. Let’s prioritize and figure out our game plan.”

Trustees say the tax increase is being forced on the district by state-mandated salary increases for teachers, required additional contributions to the state pension system and other costs.

Student growth, meanwhile, will require several new staff positions.

The 2.3 mill increase would bring in an additional $3 million in revenues for the district.

The district budget is projected to rise by 3.5 percent to a total of $596.6 million in 2017-18, district officials said.

No option

Trustee Chuck Saylors said the school board “really has no option” but to support the millage increase.

“We’re getting mandates from Columbia,” Saylors said. “We’re only asking for what we need to make everything work. There’s really no extravagance in this budget. We’ve got to be able to meet growth projections and step increases for salaries, all of those components we have very little control over. We’re going to ask the community to support the cause.”

The Greenville School District, with more than 70,000 students, is the largest in the state and 44th largest in the nation.

A public hearing on the budget will take place at 6 p.m. May 22, followed by the second reading of the budget and the school district’s request for final approval. The hearing takes place at the school district’s central office, 301 E. Camperdown Way.

Paul Hyde covers education and everything else under the South Carolina sun. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.