Finance committee presents $105.35M FY25‑26 budget and recommends 2.85% tax increase; insurance costs rise modestly

The Wallingford-Swarthmore School District finance office presented a final FY25–26 general fund budget of $105,352,610.45 and recommended a 2.85% local tax increase as part of the revenue assumptions supporting that budget.

Mark, the business‑office presenter (Business Office), told the committee that recent collective-bargaining settlements and compensation plan renewals increased personnel costs but that the administration offset much of the pressure through reallocations and the use of committed fund balances. The presentation showed a net year‑over‑year general fund increase of about $2.9 million compared with FY24–25; the presenter noted salary and benefit increases of roughly $3.8 million were largely absorbed by reallocation of other lines and by using designated fund-balance buckets created earlier in the…