Allentown School District leaders present balanced $481.5 million 2025–26 budget, pledge no local tax increase

Superintendent and CEO Dr. Carl Burks and Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Cuff presented the Allentown School District’s proposed 2025–26 budget at a community forum, saying the plan totals approximately $481,528,215 and does not include a local tax increase.

The proposal matters because the district serves about 16,712 students and faces large mandated costs — including charter payments and special-education expenses — even as state funding has increased. "We're presenting a balanced budget with no tax increase," Dr. Burks told residents, and Cuff said the district is “at a tone of approximately $481,000,000 for our children, our community.”

Cuff and Burks said state revenue is the single largest revenue source for the district. Cuff described the Ready to Learn (RTL) block grant — the adequacy funding that followed litigation over the state funding formula — as a major contributor to recent increases in Allentown’s state subsidy. Cuff said local sources, including real-estate taxes and Act 511 collections, account for roughly $100 million of revenues, while federal funds (Title I, II, III and IV and Medicaid reimbursements) make up a smaller portion of the total.

Officials gave…