The Gettysburg Area School District tax increase is down to three options.
The board decided on Monday that it will discuss three options on June 1–2.9%, 3.5%, and 4.12%. All possibilities include a 1% allocation for the future expansion of Adams County Technical Institute (ACTI), with the rest allocated to the general operating fund.
The options indicate a shift away from the district’s recent trend towards avoiding increases, despite rising costs. The last increase for the general operating budget occurred in 2022 at 1.38%. Increases approved in 2024 and 2025 were solely for ACTI.
The shift in philosophy coincides with the majority of the board taking office in December. Last year, district administration recommended at least a 0.5% increase for general operating, but only board members Al Moyer and Alice Broadway supported them.
Board Member David Sites expressed support for a 4.12% tax increase this year to course correct.
“If we don’t finally get into a balance neutral for a couple of years, we are just going to accumulate more debt, more non-revenue,” Sites said.
The final decision is scheduled for June 1 at the District Administration Building on Biglerville Road.
Other Business
The budget has dominated the board’s agenda since March, but members also made other decisions on Monday.
David “D.J.” Cool was named the High School Boys Wrestling Head Coach at a salary of $5,904. Cool replaced Chris Haines, who was recently named head coach of Gettysburg College’s Women’s Wrestling Program.
The board also accepted a settlement agreement stating Vida Charter School must pay the district $43,483.88 to close out the 2026-17 school year reports.
The board also named members Donna Harrison and Ryan Kerney as voting delegates to the Pennsylvania School Board Association.
My husband and I retired and specifically moved to Pennsylvania believing it would offer a more tax-friendly lifestyle for seniors. Unfortunately, our experience has been deeply disappointing.
We live in the Cumberland Village at Marsh Creek community in Cumberland Township, Adams County, and it feels as though residents here have become an ongoing target for inflated property values and additional taxes and fees for even small, simple things. It often feels like officials swoop in, and before we know it, another bill arrives in the mail. The school taxes, in particular, are exceptionally high, and despite statements suggesting otherwise, they continue to rise year after year.
As senior citizens living on a fixed income, we had hoped for some level of relief and financial stability in retirement. Instead, we feel taxed beyond reason. Shockingly, we are now paying more in school tax and property taxes here than we did in Carroll County, Maryland — on a home that was twice the size and situated on property four times larger.
Adding to our concern, Board Member David Sites expressed support for a 4.12% tax increase this year to “course correct.” For many senior citizens and retirees already struggling under rising costs, an increase of that size will place people like us in dire financial straits.
We genuinely regret our decision to move to this area and we’re seriously considering other area options that offer a more tax friendly environment for ALL seniors, not just low income.
Many of our friends in Maryland, Washington DC, and Virginia who are nearing retirement have asked us about our experience living here and whether Pennsylvania truly offers tax advantages for retirees. Unfortunately, because of the continual increases imposed by local decision-makers, I feel obligated to be honest about what we have experienced.
For us, the reality has been extremely disappointing and far different from what we were led to expect.