Six candidates are on the Nov.5 ballot for East Penn School Board. This is a 4-year term. Vote for no more than five.

The candidates were asked to respond to the following question in 100 words or less:

Biggest issue for residents

“What is your position on property tax reform?”

Democrat

Allan Byrd

Most of the funding for the East Penn School District is provided by property taxes. State and federal funding make up a small amount of the total funding. I would support property tax reform legislation if there is no decrease in current funding levels. Identification of a new revenue stream would have to be a part of the legislation. The revenue would have to fund the increased costs and the future needs of the district. The East Penn School District must have adequate funding to ensure all students receive a quality public education.

Democrat and Republican

Ken Bacher

Pennsylvania contributes the eighth lowest percentage of school funding of any state in the nation. The resulting over-reliance on local revenue sources leads to excessive district-to-district disparities and places an undue burden on local taxpayers. Existing reform proposals that attempt to entirely eliminate property taxes, however, do not adequately replace the lost revenue and also significantly shift the tax burden from corporations to individuals. I would favor a plan, such as increasing state funding for the homestead/farmstead exclusion, that provides property tax relief to homeowners while not shifting taxes currently paid by corporations onto individuals.

Democrat and Republican

Paul Champagne

While not opposed to property tax reform, the devil is in the details. It is unclear to me if any of the proposals will generate sufficient revenue on a stable long-term basis to meet the needs of public education. There is also the question of whether local school boards would lose control of budget

decisions and rely on Harrisburg to make the right call, especially if revenues fall short of covering costs. Since being elected to the EPSD board, I have worked to ensure that taxpayer concerns have been heard as evidenced by the 2019-20 budget that included no tax increase.

Democrat and Republican

Jeffrey R. Jankowski

I support property tax reform if the Pennsylvania legislature provides for an alternate revenue stream that continues to reliably produce the funding necessary for our schools to function effectively. I understand the argument that using property taxes as a means for funding schools results in an inequitable allocation of the cost. However, with the current property tax system, the amount of money available to school districts is generally consistent each year and school districts can reliably forecast and set their budgets. If there is a reform to property taxation, any such reform must result in the same consistency and reliability of funding.

Democrat and Republican

Joshua Levinson

The goal of property tax reform is to shift school funding away from just property owners to a broader group of taxpayers. While this is genuinely more fair and equitable, the most prominent and transformative ideas under consideration haven’t demonstrated themselves to be steady sources of revenue. As such, they are generally unable to assure the funding necessary to provide the resource levels needed for strong public schools--for which all residents have a vested interest. More targeted measures that aim to provide relief to vulnerable groups represent our best opportunity for change while working with our current system.

Republican

Diane L. Schaffer

Any household in which a Pennsylvania property owner resides, for whom the total income is less than three times the federal poverty rate for one person, should be exempt from real estate tax.