North Penn finance committee reviews $348.7 million preliminary budget, discusses 4% tax scenario

North Penn School District finance committee on Monday reviewed a preliminary budget that would increase next year's total spending to $348,670,000 and discussed a tax-rate approach that would keep the district within the state Act 1 index.

The presentation by business manager Todd Linderman laid out the draft numbers and drivers: "The budget for this current year is a little over $322,000,000. The first draft of the budget for next year is $348,670,000," Linderman said. He said that, as presented, the draft shows a roughly $18 million gap between projected expenditures and revenues because the draft includes a $10,000,000 transfer from the district's fund balance to capital projects for the high‑school project.

That $10 million transfer, Linderman and board members said, is a planned allocation the board previously authorized in a parameters resolution. "We are spending our own savings on the project at least in part," a board member said, noting the funds are coming from reserves. Linderman said excluding that transfer reduces the…