[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6245718,"mediaKeyId","3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8","parentId",3222358,"title","Exeter board narrows budget plan to 3.25% tax increase; librarian elimination and other cuts debated","audioSeconds",4013,"startMs",4347000,"endMs",8360000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8&start=4347&end=8360","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8/thumbnail_4347000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6245718/Pennsylvania/Exeter-board-narrows-budget-plan-to-325-tax-increase-librarian-elimination-and-other-cuts-debated","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6245718-29c57ae845139ba0e6c6ee70b7e2d4da/orig.mp4?Expires=1773453153&Signature=kdri2HQuRsYSD~ZzER4hj688n99spZCOlt5~NxwOUMnYFoeKA-et~o5ca2VlFKQkj5EDmDL2k9v8LV0ZsM59phQdwd-dcomcb3jxyMJqkTHbKfcjyx2cfxg3eOe4cuciLpWorMQGdVZfMBBFr~A-mVUx5Xlk6gweyKTv6adG-0yxHWaXrq9JdpOqyUVRT93jS3QK84uBmXn6xp~7ZXHzki5UWm3IdDi1M0pebjBW7Wtj6e5Qpf30GNmrg6mu-2TqEMz3miW6R7QoCmMc5sO5d8U7C5nOmMw0rsZU~G7f1PR9SxFwgDOKlJsJ3kHRBAgLIzb0RhnkQN4RTQ-kIR3t5Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-05-07T13:27:45Z","article","The Exeter Township School Board’s Committee of the Whole narrowed the proposed 2025‑26 general fund plan on May 6 to a scenario that would produce a 3.25% tax increase and include the elimination of one position through attrition and repurposing the high‑school librarian, administration said.

Why it matters: the choices affect classroom offerings, extracurricular programs and annual tax bills for local homeowners. The meeting included intense oral public comment from parents, students and staff focused on proposed cuts to elementary instrumental music and the high‑school library position.

Administration presented three budget scenarios that differed by personnel eliminations and whether the board would remove the per‑capita tax and offset the change with a property‑tax tweak. Key elements discussed included eliminating a “bubble” third‑grade class via attrition (administration said that elimination does not require a furlough), repurposing the high‑school librarian into an English position (the employee would be transferred, administration said), and a possible elimination of a K–6 instrumental position that supports third‑ and fourth‑grade lessons.

Administration said the district had eliminated 11 positions by attrition in prior budget cycles and restructured debt in 2023 to save about $2 million annually. The district presented numbers showing a FY2023 surplus of roughly $639,000 and total reserves near $16 million; cost pressures include special education and plant/operations spending. Administration warned that delaying uniform and turf purchases only postpones an expense rather than eliminating it.

On the per‑capita tax (a small flat annual levy collected on adults), board members debated whether to eliminate the charge and cover the revenue via a 0.25 percentage‑point property‑tax increase. Estimates discussed at the meeting varied: the district reported approximately $126,000 gross per‑capita collections in the prior year; the board’s budget scenarios show the recommended 3.25% tax path if the per‑capita charge is retained and the high‑school librarian position is repurposed.

Board straw polls produced these operational signals at the Committee of the Whole:

- The board signaled support for eliminating the high‑school librarian position and transferring the librarian to another teaching role (straw poll result 6–1 in favor of elimination), with administration saying that student library access would be maintained through adjusted schedules and digital resources.

- The board ultimately coalesced around the administration’s Scenario 3 (3.25% tax increase) after additional discussion and a second straw poll that produced a 4–3 margin in favor of the scenario; the item was moved to the May voting agenda as the proposed final budget.

- The board voted to keep funding for band and sports uniforms in the upcoming budget year (members opposed deferring that $50,000 expense).

Public comment: more than a dozen students and parents spoke during public comment, stressing the educational and social benefits of early instrumental instruction and the high‑school library. Students described music as a “safe haven” and parents and staff recounted decades‑long community traditions; music teachers and the high‑school librarian made direct appeals to retain their positions or maintain the program’s continuity.

Next steps: administration will draft a preliminary final budget reflecting the board’s direction (3.25% increase; one attrition elimination; repurposing the librarian), place that proposed budget on the May voting agenda and continue to look at nonpersonnel revenue options (activity fees, turf fees) and further cost‑saving opportunities. The board will vote on the final budget at the scheduled voting meeting in mid‑May.

Ending: the committee’s guidance provides a path for the administration to present a proposed final budget that preserves some extracurricular funding while trimming select positions; the board and community will revisit remaining details at the upcoming voting meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 6, 2025 Exeter Township School Board Committee of the Whole","oneSentenceSummary","The Exeter Township School Board’s Committee of the Whole narrowed its proposed 2025‑26 budget to a scenario that would raise taxes by 3.25% and include eliminating one position through attrition and repurposing the high‑school librarian, administration said May 6.","taxTitle","Exeter Township SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",53767,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6245723,"Board reviews two enrollment‑study proposals; delays procurement until June",1268,3062000,4330000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8&start=3062&end=4330","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8/thumbnail_3062000.jpg","/articles/6245723/Pennsylvania/Board-reviews-two-enrollmentstudy-proposals-delays-procurement-until-June","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6245723-8de5dead147225db57f93eadc56b27fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1773453153&Signature=flqnGu87YYmv3JgZ6WR21fRES1O3h3n1LqkSXKDOlyk8vuBm8ldN17cXXdooyCcj4rR1Nf8FUtMRBTY2~uCsnwd0Cx6Olqul4wepHBluic~~9u4eAkPa-TXVUbyhVE1m6PDNYW8pQQa8~ctpKtoBcPtVYVc1MA4vdP-tvu~QJeN57~JlMWOsgeUPXo~kr4bbvvCae5FsTi1CvWiBet0p5IhptDeZeZLZ21L9azIZ~eQgWiuXbhdt0AbnaglheAjCyukKYihjOcTzBYD~2UEpJqPMBXiYzgyjih0iOuPzMrF63wNqskvADhTNEqZ7Md7KvxCDkU8z9XEJ6ZweonsVlA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","DevOpar consultant Chris (presenting May 6) briefed the Exeter Township School Board on two proposals the district solicited to produce a 10‑year enrollment and demographic study. The two firms under consideration were Cropper GIS and the Pennsylvania Economy League.

Why it matters: reliable enrollment forecasts feed facilities, staffing and long‑range capital planning; board members said current PDE projections did not fully reflect local housing and migration dynamics.

Chris said both vendors will use historical enrollment, county GIS, housing and labor‑market data, and local planning information to produce a 10‑year forecast that incorporates the district’s October 1 count. Timing in the proposals targets a draft report in October so the study can incorporate the official count. He noted a roughly $15,000 price difference between the proposals and said both vendors have relevant experience; Cropper GIS was recommended as the more cost‑effective option.

Board members asked how consultants estimate school‑age yield from new apartment complexes and how they treat transiency. Chris said vendors rely on historical comparable developments, county data and conversations with local officials; they will footnote speculative developments that are not yet permitted. He also agreed to provide the board with published examples showing how each vendor’s final forecast compared with the PDE projection for similar districts.

The board asked about procurement timing and budget. The committee agreed there was no identified grant to pay for the study and that the cost would fall to the general fund if approved. Members agreed to defer a vote until the June voting meeting so the board could review example studies and evaluate budget implications in the context of final budget decisions.

Ending: administration will collect reference studies that compare vendor forecasts with PDE projections, share them with the board, and place the enrollment‑study procurement on the June voting agenda.","DevOpar presented two outside proposals — Cropper GIS and the PA Economy League — to produce a 10‑year enrollment and demographic forecast; the board agreed to defer a procurement vote to the June meeting and asked for sample deltas versus PDE projections.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6245728,"Exeter superintendent urges state action on cyber‑charter funding, board to consider countywide resolution",886,1619000,2505000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8&start=1619&end=2505","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8/thumbnail_1619000.jpg","/articles/6245728/Pennsylvania/Exeter-superintendent-urges-state-action-on-cybercharter-funding-board-to-consider-countywide-resolution","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6245728-bc0d4f6c783bf2469bf7c28c2a776386/orig.mp4?Expires=1773453153&Signature=PAL8bDdZ9ozMk4AwjFCZfdCVI-Tx2lH2YL2YvQNeMb5xnwaNGO8AbfsYLEZzQf01d5~k~DFB8XjfCPg6Tpwj-2puI5EB0Dl-RXbBMaKzol8SG6JUpotDiycvTpfgdIXFPPiBZ05Qnvlaid25ivkKNnKRX4ZAfo8Ga8Kwl99HXaom~Dh5iU3CTAa7GZKA2-uqk9p-hO8Qt8LUm49U8P4UVaj08oE8DIyxz51hQsYDDXJkl7JSzv-3bjLepYfWC0IIGOIy6rWmoW5cCvktel85Pb4CJ4ib7A8D-8Qhe33q2ngeMg-WGeFU1j1dWTACFDRatWzCH-lHozzVeaV5mqD7qg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Superintendent Christy Haller urged the Exeter Township School Board on May 6 to support a countywide resolution asking Pennsylvania’s lawmakers to set a flat tuition for cyber charter schools and to curb what she described as excessive outflows of local taxpayer dollars.

Haller told the board that cyber charter tuition strips funding from local school services such as custodial operations, transportation, food service, pupil health and student activities — items that cost the district roughly $18 million in total in a near‑$90 million budget. She asked the board to sign a letter asking the legislature to authorize a uniform per‑pupil rate (a $10,000 example is cited in the letter) so more funding would remain to support local services and students.

Why it matters: the board’s decision could add Exeter’s voice to a countywide push to change how cyber charters are funded and prompt state lawmakers to consider a statewide cap and distribution reform.

Haller outlined cost comparisons she said show brick‑and‑mortar districts must budget for facility upkeep (about $8.6 million cited), transportation ($3.5 million), food service ($2.3 million), pupil health (about $1 million) and student activities ($2.2 million), while cyber charter operators pay none of those local costs but receive comparable per‑pupil tuition. She said Berks County superintendents and the intermediate unit concluded that the existing funding pattern costs public schools “millions and millions of dollars.”

Board members discussed wording in the draft letter. Director Timothy Morgan proposed changing a sentence that read “these two changes alone would save Pennsylvania taxpayers more than $300,000,000” to language saying the changes “would allow the Pennsylvania legislature to redistribute more than $300,000,000,” to avoid implying a direct cash refund to taxpayers. Haller and board members agreed to the wording change if the board approves the resolution.

Board members also asked about the local scale of cyber‑charter attendance. Business administrator Brian Fike provided counts from the district enrollment report: 38 students in the Exeter Cyber Academy (district program) and 101 Exeter residents attending out‑of‑district cyber charters as of March 31, 2025. Board members discussed the district’s outreach efforts to attract students back from cyber providers but said the district’s virtual academy’s primary responsibility is serving students who choose that option.

No formal vote was taken at the Committee of the Whole; the item was placed on the May voting agenda for a formal decision and the district will send the revised letter to legislators if the board approves it.

Ending: the board will consider the resolution at the upcoming voting meeting and may send a revised legislative letter asking for a flat statewide tuition and other cyber‑charter reforms if a majority approves.","Superintendent Christy Haller urged the board to back a Berks County resolution pressing the state to cap cyber‑charter tuition and redirect funding to brick‑and‑mortar services; board discussion focused on potential savings, wording tweaks to the legislative letter, and next steps.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6245733,"Auditors give Exeter Township School District a clean opinion but flag internal-control weaknesses",613,415000,1028000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8&start=415&end=1028","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3222358-a918f0d15aff8c1d73d92733edcb73a8/thumbnail_415000.jpg","/articles/6245733/Pennsylvania/Auditors-give-Exeter-Township-School-District-a-clean-opinion-but-flag-internal-control-weaknesses","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6245733-a7b4ac2361198543a837f39e067cbdac/orig.mp4?Expires=1773453153&Signature=FggKNEurcutzEaXvej-TnFVw7osU3cVGoqDyj35oIbs3G6x21gwlahlolsRNB1HKWMhaVotm0WTH4tkozXiu8EVI5vy-EF0onLdzRdXO03TlEtmbUL9eBlR-sFJiK6xlBXQvrzxPv~iSN9WLZyOj93ihGFmWBRw2W~AtAB7vhgqflwxOF1ldD8GHq63EB3e4JSYn~wFX2~~dydxjGZR-NKV~ULRcgVEn2EhhlMmoojOe9ECSdEckKj9nmhGDOTOzCPEjvMyT1k9kNzFZfa1DTluwfrNDSMAtHO1JwOyEzAkjZrROr-djaz2eGF66XhVm2HC75PL2n8f797DV9gUtlw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Herbine and Company told the Exeter Township School Board on May 6 that its auditors issued unmodified — or “clean” — opinions on both the district’s fiscal‑year 2023 financial statements and the federal programs tested.

The audit partner, Chris Tortell, said the district produced a $639,000 surplus in 2023 compared with a budgeted loss of $834,000, a roughly $1.4 million swing driven in part by unusually strong interest income and some lingering federal and state pandemic grants. He also flagged several control weaknesses tied to staff turnover in the business office and tardy reconciliations.

The nut graf: an unmodified audit opinion means the auditors found the district’s statements materially in line with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, but the report included a material‑weakness finding and other deficiencies that administration must address under federal and state oversight.

Tortell told the board turnover in the assistant business manager and payroll clerk roles left gaps that delayed timely bank reconciliations and increased proposed audit adjustments. He said the business office has hired additional staff and switched financial software from Skyward to CSI to improve reporting timeliness and usability. The auditors also tested the Child Nutrition Cluster and Education Stabilization Fund under Uniform Guidance.

The report included these fiscal highlights for the 2022–23 year: a $639,000 operations surplus (versus a budgeted $834,000 loss); an unassigned fund balance of about $5.8 million; total reserves near $16 million; a capital‑projects ending balance of roughly $2.4 million (bond proceeds from a 2023 B bond issuance, mostly for HVAC work); and a food‑service operating surplus around $320,000 with a food‑service reserve near $1.3 million. Tortell said the district’s unassigned fund balance met its policy threshold, running about 6.83% of expenditures versus a 6% requirement.

Tortell and superintendent Christy Haller described a plan to finish the delayed 2024 audit by the end of the summer and return to a normal audit cycle for 2025. Tortell said management has provided responses to the deficiencies noted in the audit, and that those responses will be reviewed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) and the U.S. Department of Education as appropriate.

Board members pressed for comparative context. Tortell said turnover‑related control weaknesses are common in districts that experience staff churn and that he audits multiple districts across Berks, Chester, Montgomery and Lancaster counties. He encouraged continued attention to journal‑entry support, timely federal grant reporting, and capitalization thresholds.

Administration presented next steps: continue staffing the business office, complete the 2024 audit by summer, implement corrective procedures called out in the management responses, and monitor the effect of the software change on reporting timeliness. No formal board action was taken on the audit during the meeting; the report will be part of upcoming board materials for review and follow up.

The board thanked the auditors and administration for the presentation and said it would monitor the remediation timeline.

Ending: the district’s independent auditor issued a clean opinion on 2023 while requiring the business office to sustain personnel and process changes to resolve internal‑control findings before the next audit cycle.","Herbine and Company reported unmodified (clean) opinions on the district's 2022–23 financial statements and federal programs, while identifying material‑weakness and significant‑deficiency findings tied largely to staff turnover and delayed reconciliations.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Exeter board narrows budget plan to 3.25% tax increase; librarian elimination and other cuts debated

Board reviews two enrollment‑study proposals; delays procurement until June

Exeter superintendent urges state action on cyber‑charter funding, board to consider countywide resolution

Auditors give Exeter Township School District a clean opinion but flag internal-control weaknesses