Most School districts in the area reported that they decided to raise property taxes or cut spending in response to rising state-mandated expenses.

Ambridge Area, Blackhawk and South Side Area school districts were the only ones in the county to pass budgets for the 2017-18 school year that do not include a tax hike. Although taxes won’t increase in Ambridge or Blackhawk, both boards balanced the budgets by drawing funds from district savings accounts.