JACKSON TWP — The Seneca Valley School Board Monday night passed the district’s 2015-16 budget that includes a tax increase.

The district’s property tax will go up 3.4 mills to 119.9 mills.

The value of a mill was increased to about $548,000.

The tax increase for the owner of a house with a median home value of $207,750 will be $82.

Board President Eric DiTullio said while he’s pleased the district has agreed on the $115.5 million budget — an increase of $7 million — frustration has ensued because of unfunded state mandated programs.

DiTullio said the state dictates much of a school district’s spending.

However, in many cases no additional state funding is given to districts, leaving them to pay millions from district funds.

“People get frustrated with the budget as do I,” he said. “It’s putting a lot of pressure on the administration.”

But DiTullio credits the district’s financial responsibility for being able to stay afloat.

“We have been able to set money aside to ease those increases,” he said. “It may not be to the point where people are seeing a zero percent increase, but there are other districts in the area that are in financial distress. We’re not there and that’s a good thing.”

The spending increase in the new budget continues a string of budget increases during the past several years.

DiTullio said many of the budget projections are flat because of uncertainty on the state level.

“The state is supposed to have a budget passed by June 30. Every indication is that’s not going to happen,” he said.

“And then that comes back down to us because what do we do for projections on what the state is going to provide?”

The board also voted to apply for the Transforming Elementary Education grant for $100,000 by the Farmers Insurance Dream Big Teacher Challenge.

Funding would be provided for implementation of program instruction, robotics and a STEAM lab.

STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.