Saucon Valley board hears $60 million preliminary budget, flags $5 million shortfall and debate over $1M stop‑loss premium

Saucon Valley School District officials on April 22 reviewed a preliminary 2025–26 budget that projects about $60 million in expenditures and roughly $55 million in revenues, producing an estimated $5 million shortfall before adjustments. Business manager David Bonenberger told the board the package includes a one‑time $2.6 million contribution toward the Bethlehem VOTEC expansion and rising health‑benefit costs.

Bonenberger said, "The 25‑26 budget, we're looking at a $60,000,000 expenditure, which is a 10.47% increase from last year to this year, and our revenue is only generating around 55,000,000 at this point. So it's showing about $5,000,000 deficit." He told the board the large line items driving the increase are salaries (about $23 million, up roughly $657,000) and benefits (about $16 million, up roughly $1.9 million), with most of the benefits growth tied to health insurance costs.

Why it matters: the board must adopt a preliminary budget at its May 13 meeting to meet the 30‑day public display requirement; final approval is scheduled in late June. Board members pressed administration for near‑term options to reduce the deficit before the preliminary adoption.

Key budget details and debate

• Health…