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Board adopts tax-rebate resolution, approves intermediate unit budget; CFO criticizes cyber charter funding formula
Summary
The board approved a real-estate tax rebate resolution, ratified intermediate unit and tax-collection actions, and accepted treasurer's reports and disbursements. Treasurer Steve Skrocki used his final report to criticize the state's cyber charter funding formula and update the board on the movie-lot sale and upcoming bond issuance.
At its Feb. 20 meeting the North Penn School District board approved a real-estate tax rebate resolution for the 2025-26 fiscal year, ratified the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit budget share, approved treasurer reports and routine financial motions, and heard an expansive finance report from Treasurer Steve Skrocki.
Mr. Skrocki presented his final treasurer's report and highlighted several items: the governor's proposed 2025-26 state budget (a proposed 1.86% increase in basic education funding for North Penn, about $346,365), the state proposal for a flat statewide cyber charter tuition rate of $8,000 per student, and the Pennsylvania Auditor General's performance audit of five cyber charter schools. Skrocki criticized the current cyber charter funding formula and described it as allowing cyber charters to build large reserves and spend taxpayer funds on items he found questionable. He said the Auditor General “found instances of the cyber charter schools using taxpayer dollars on things like staff bonuses, gift cards, vehicle payments and fuel stipends” and cited large facility expenditures by one cyber school.
On board actions, the board:
- Adopted a resolution establishing a real estate tax rebate program for qualified homeowners and renters for fiscal 2025-26; the board’s motion passed during the meeting. - Approved the 2025-26 Montgomery County Intermediate Unit budget; North Penn’s share is $218,592 (Mr. Skrocki said this represents a 4% increase from the prior year). - Ratified submission of delinquent real estate and interim taxes to the Montgomery and Bucks County Tax Claim Bureaus. - Approved and ratified standard treasurer motions: acceptance of the treasurer's report, ratification of January disbursements of $33,110,791.11, and budget transfers for January totaling $219,635.05.
Skrocki also updated the board on the sale of the movie lots: he said court approval had been received to move forward with the sale and that the purchaser (Pulte) had not indicated it would seek an additional extension of its due-diligence period. He reported a recent bond-rating call with Moody’s related to issuing $10 million for the first phase of the high-school project and said the district’s rating is AA1; he expected results in two to three weeks.
Ending: The board approved multiple routine finance motions and a high-profile tax-rebate resolution; Mr. Skrocki used his final report to call for state-level reform of cyber charter funding and provided updates on the movie-lot sale and the district’s upcoming bond issuance.
