Phoenixville schools consider cuts, layoffs, tax hike in face of state funding slash

With $2.3 million in state funding now missing from Phoenixville Area School District’s budget, talks of an increased tax hike are heating up, and layoffs could be in the works.

Superintendent Alan D. Fegley said an 8.75 percent tax increase might be necessary to close the gap — far more than the 4.43 percent hike suggested in the district’s preliminary $78.3 million.

A worst-case scenario would mean layoffs, the Mercury reports, and the district is considering hiring and salary freezes among its various strategies.

School Board President Paul Slaninka called the situation “catastrophic.”