North Hills board member: Commonwealth budget 80 days overdue; district can "weather the storm" while others may struggle

At the Sept. 18 North Hills Board of Education legislative meeting, board member Mrs. Stevens said the Pennsylvania Commonwealth budget was “now 80 days past due,” and that negotiations had stalled over “skilled games, Medicaid, and cyber charter rates.” Mrs. Stevens said, “As things stand today, the budget is not expected to pass for weeks, if not months, unfortunately.” Why it matters: a delayed state budget can affect school aid, reimbursements and other state-funded programs that districts rely on. Mrs. Stevens told the board that North Hills is “able to weather the storm and in good financial standing,” but she cautioned that financial stress is already affecting other districts across the Commonwealth. Board-level context: the report was offered as the board’s legislative update; no formal action or vote followed. The meeting record shows the board had met in executive session before the public meeting to discuss personnel and legal matters. More detail: Mrs. Stevens identified three negotiation areas—“skilled games,” Medicaid and cyber charter rates—as sources of the impasse but did not provide additional budget figures or an estimated state funding shortfall for North Hills. She did not say the district had requested emergency state aid or enacted contingency measures. Next steps: no board direction or formal motion related to the state budget was recorded at the Sept. 18 meeting. The board’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Oct. 2, 2025, at 6:15 p.m.