The Pittsburgh Public Schools board approved a budget for 2026 that includes a 2% tax increase.

The nine-person board voted 6 to 3 on Wednesday to adopt the $731.3 million district budget. It included raising the millage rate to 10.457 mills, a 2% increase, and a deficit of $5.7 million. No cuts to services are expected, district leaders said. 

Board President Gene Walker said the impact on individual homeowners will be between $7 and $15 per year. The increase comes on top of last year's 36% tax increase from Allegheny County and a proposed 30% city tax increase this year.

"While a tax increase isn't ideal in any circumstance, the fact that we were able to do what we needed to do tonight and lessen the impact on everyday Pittsburghers, it's a good thing," Walker said Thursday.  

The district had plans to present a 4% tax increase, but the district's chief financial officer said the proposal was changed after new calculations revealed the 4% increase would not have complied with state guidelines. The calculations showed the district would have had a property tax allocation surplus.

"We knew that this might be an issue, but we didn't know that it would be an issue until we got the values today," said Ronald Jones, the district's chief financial officer.

Wednesday's vote came after the school board rejected a plan last month to close nine school buildings. Walker said the $5.7 million deficit would have been eliminated if the board voted for the plan. 

The deficit will force the district to pull from its savings, which puts financial pressure on the district moving forward. 

Pittsburgh Public Schools' financial future

Late last month, the school board voted against the Future-Ready Facilities Plan, which had been years in the making and would have reorganized the district.

That vote came after nearly 100 parents attended a school board meeting to voice their concerns over the consolidations, with nearly all of those attendees speaking out against the plan. 

Pittsburgh Public Schools said its proposal addressed declining enrollment, aging infrastructure, and underutilized buildings. Board members expressed concerns about transportation, capital cost savings, courses of study and the reconfigured grades. 

After Wednesday's vote, Walker said the board can still revisit the proposal to close schools at a later time, saying the additional time puts board members in a better position to make that decision.  

District leaders said a tax increase was going to be in the budget regardless of whether schools closed. The school board has also pushed for reassessments, saying they would stabilize funding.

"Overall, I think it would be better for us," Walker said Wednesday before the vote. "That's why we continue to push on the county executive to do it sooner rather than later."  

PPS adopts phone ban

The Pittsburgh Public Schools board also voted to change the district's policy on electronic devices. The new policy prohibits the use and possession of electronic devices by students during the school day on the district's property.

The previous policy left the decision to the individual schools to allow or ban electronic devices. Forty-four of the 57 schools in the district currently ban cell phones. 

"Many of our schools have already seen positive results from limiting cell phone use during the school day. Establishing a districtwide standard ensures consistency while still allowing for necessary and appropriate exceptions," Superintendent Wayne Walters said in a news release on Wednesday. 

Any devices brought to school by students will be turned in at the beginning of the day and returned at the end of the day under the new policy, according to PPS. Exceptions may be granted for health, safety or emergencies.