Penn‑Trafford board tentatively adopts preliminary budget with 3‑mill tax increase

The Penn‑Trafford School Board voted 5–4 at its meeting to tentatively adopt a preliminary $70,066,860 budget that includes a 3‑mill increase in real estate taxes, raising the district millage from 90.75 to 93.75 mills. The vote authorized advertisement of the preliminary budget; the board will consider a final budget at its June meeting.

The increase is intended to reduce the district’s recurring reliance on its fund balance. Brett, the district finance presenter, said revenue was about $68 million while expenditures were about $70 million, producing a current projected deficit of roughly $1.4 million. "You just can't keep sustaining that pattern of having the expenditures exceed the revenues, eating into the fund balance because eventually there won't be any fund balance left," Brett said.

Why this matters: Board members and district leaders said health care and salary costs are driving most of the budget gap, and prior years’ use of reserves has reduced…