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Can Saucon Valley afford to pay teachers more? Lower Saucon and Hellertown Jimi McCullian, THE MORNING CALL In Hellertown, a borough of about 5,600 people that is one of two municipalities that make up Saucon Valley School District, the houses are notably smaller and closer together than in Lower Saucon Township. Median household income is nearly $30,000 less than in Lower Saucon. Almost 7 percent of... In Hellertown, a borough of about 5,600 people that is one of two municipalities that make up Saucon Valley School District, the houses are notably smaller and closer together than in Lower Saucon Township. Median household income is nearly $30,000 less than in Lower Saucon. Almost 7 percent of... (Jimi McCullian, THE MORNING CALL) By Jacqueline Palochko and Eugene Tauber, Of The Morning Call Educators Why doesn t Saucon Valley give teachers what they want?Teachers say Saucon Valley should spend more on them.Should <a href=http://www.alportico.net/page.php?sale=Gucci-Website>Gucci Website</a> wealthy schools pay their teachers more than poor schools? During a nearly three-year contract impasse, the Saucon Valley School District has been portrayed as a bastion of affluence that could easily give teachers what they want, but refuses to do so.What the teachers wanted was a 3 percent raise in each of three years. But when the school board balked and a strike loomed, they trimmed that proposal to 2 percent. Last Sunday, a day before Saucon Valley students returned to classes, the board rejected the new proposal, leaving the district's 180 teachers without a contract.The Saucon Valley Education Association whose members have gone on strike three times since 2005 has said the district could tap into the $15 million it has in reserves to cover the raises, and not have to increase taxes. Everyone knows that Saucon Valley is a wealthy district, Andrew Muir, attorney for the teachers union, said in July. Wealthiest local school districts <a href=http://www.radiorcs.com/page.php?sale=Kate-Spade-Clutches>Kate Spade Clutches</a> The school board says fiscal prudence is behind the district's healthy balance sheet not wealthy taxpayers. We are not a country-club district, School Director Ralph Puerta said at a heated school board meeting earlier this month. We are not a district of mansions. We are an average district. The perception raises the question: Is Saucon Valley wealthy? And if it is, should it pay the salaries teachers want?Is Saucon Valley rich?On the surface, Saucon Valley looks to be doing better than average.Of the 500 school districts in the state, Saucon Valley ranked in the top 20 percent for median household income, $67,950, and per capita income, $38,468. Both figures are at least $10,000 higher than the state median. While its rate has risen since the Great Recession, poverty touches just 4 percent of families in the district far lower than the state average. Locally, Saucon Valley ranks sixth among the Lehigh Valley's 17 school districts in median household income, according to 2012 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau.While other districts have increased property taxes, Saucon Valley is an anomaly, having had no such hike in six years. Even without raising taxes, it has built up reserves of $15 million. It also has not faced the flood of teacher layoffs and program cuts that hit many city and suburban districts as state funding went down beginning in 2011.On the books, Saucon Valley appears wealthy, said Bethlehem economist Kamran Afshar. Its reserve fund, equivalent to about 40 percent of its budget, is hefty, he noted.With such reserves, Afshar said, Saucon Valley can afford raises.District officials say all is not as it appears. They say the two municipalities that make up the district Lower Saucon Township and Hellertown are two distinct communities. Lower Saucon Township, with about 3,700 people, is a community of large houses on sprawling properties and single homes in suburban cul-de-sacs. It has a median household income of $80,058. About 2 percent of people live in poverty.Over in Hellertown, a borough of about 5,600 people, the houses are notably smaller and closer together. Median household income is nearly $30,000 less than in Lower Saucon. Almost 7 percent of people in Hellertown live in poverty.Under the district's current property tax rate of 51.74 mills, the owner of a home assessed at $50,000 pays $2,587 a year. The district's negotiations team has said when taxes increase, <a href=http://www.avanttravel.com/page.php?sale=Tory-Burch-Purses>Tory Burch Purses</a> it will be hard for those already struggling financially and those living on fixed incomes. I understand the plight of the taxpayers, chief negotiator and School Director Ed Inghrim said. Especially in Hellertown. Determining salaries cComments