PITTSBURGH — School taxes are going up in the City of Pittsburgh.
The increase is part of the 2026 budget passed by the Pittsburgh Public Schools board of directors on Wednesday.
Residents will see a 2% increase. It’s down from the proposed 4%. Why the change?
Chief Financial Officer Ronald Joseph says it has to do with the homestead and farmstead law.
“I think of it as a property rebate from the state. State gives us money and says if someone has an eligible property, you can lower their tax bill by x amount,” he said.
Joseph told Channel 11 they received new information from the county yesterday and ran new calculations on Wednesday.
With the recent tax increases in the county and proposed increases in the city, board president Gene Walker says he hopes this can lessen the impact on taxpayers.
“It’s hard to say, asking people to pay more money, even if it was less,” he said.
The budget totals just over $731 million. It’s about 3% less than the 2025 budget.
The average homeowner will pay about $13 more per year.
Despite the increase, the district is still set to operate at a deficit of about $6 million.
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