ORANGE TWP — Mapleton Board of Education members on Monday proposed a new income tax levy to address a deficit predicted in the district’s five-year forecast.
Mapleton’s annual deficit is expected to grow to $700,000 over the next five years, quickly eating through the district’s cash reserves.
“We’ve been very conservative with our money but you’re gonna see, right here, in (fiscal year) 2026 we don’t have any cash. And we really don’t have any cash in 2027,” treasurer Katy Wiley said.
The growing deficit is partially influenced by the district’s declining enrollment, which affects how much funding they receive from the state, Wiley said.
The board decided to move forward with putting a .75 percent earned income tax on May’s ballot to stave off the district’s growing deficit.
The district previously tried to pass a 1.25 percent income tax levy in 2014, but failed.
Another drain on the district’s finances is its sports programs. In the fall 2022 sports season alone, the district lost around $87,000, according to data Wiley presented.
To combat this, board members proposed becoming more strict in collecting sports fees by benching players that have not paid.
“Levies and all of that stuff, I get it. What we can control, we should be controlling,” board president Shana Benner said.
