Months of intense discussion ended Thursday night with the Panther Valley School District board of directors voting to raise property taxes, albeit not as much as originally proposed in January.

By a 7-2 vote, the board passed a final 2016-17 spending plan calling for a 2.5-mill tax hike in Carbon County and .06-mill increase in Schuylkill County.Expenditures total $25.92 million and Business Manager Kenneth Marx Jr. said the tax increase would bring Panther Valley an additional $8,000 from Schuylkill County property owners and $370,000 from those in Carbon County.The district has different rates for the two counties because the market value of property in Coaldale is slightly higher than the rest of the district; Summit Hill, Lansford and Nesquehoning.Wayne Gryzik and Renee DeMelfi voted against approving the budget with DeMelfi calling it, "a very tough decision."She previously said she would not support any tax increase.Superintendent Dennis Kergick thanked board members, who he said met two to three times per month since January to get to this point."Development of a budget is a messy process and includes intense discussions," Kergick said. "It has an immense impact on families of the district. In some cases we became 'frenemies.' The decisions made here affect the most vulnerable of our constituents, the children who attend our district."In January, the board passed a preliminary budget that included a 7.4-mill hike for Carbon property owners and a 4.25-mill increase for Schuylkill property owners.Though the district was able to cut back the increase, Kergick pointed the finger squarely at state legislators for not ensuring a fair funding formula.The state, he said, disregards the needs of students."There are districts that have seen enrollment go down consistently for the past 25 years and yet their per-pupil funding increases," he said. "Locally, our legislators have not been responsive to our calls for assistance. That these folks run unopposed is an absolute sin."School boards are in an "unenviable" position, Kergick said, as state mandates such as contributions to the Public School Employees' Retirement System fund and charter school payments rise.PSERS contributions are at 30.03 percent for 2016-17, up from 25.84 percent last year."The state has to step up, or next year we are looking at some very harsh realities in this district," Kergick said.The board also voted Thursday to authorize homestead and farmstead exclusion tax reductions for the 2016-17 school year.There are no approved farmsteads in the district, but qualifying homesteads can receive a $228 reduction.The decisions made here affect the most vulnerable of our constituents, the children who attend our district.Dennis KergickPanther Valley Superintendent