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West Chester Area SD projects roughly $15.2 million gap for 2026–27; board adopts budget calendar
Summary
District staff reported minor 2024–25 adjustments and a $417,000 net improvement to the 2025–26 projection, while the 2026–27 gap remains about $15.2 million; the board approved the 2026–27 budget calendar and the December Act 1 decision timetable.
West Chester Area School District business staff told the Property & Finance Committee on Sept. 29 that minor changes to the 2024–25 forecast and a set of early adjustments for 2025–26 reduce the district’s projected near‑term deficit but leave a large gap for 2026–27.
Gary Scully, the district’s director of business affairs, said a late reconciliation with charter schools added about $244,000 in special‑education costs to the 2024–25 expenditures and produced a modest increase in that year’s budget gap. For 2025–26, Scully reported roughly $506,000 in salary savings driven by lower-than‑budgeted average teacher salaries in September and a net $417,000 improvement after offsetting projected expenditure and revenue changes.
The update comes as the board adopted the 2026–27 budget calendar, including a December decision point on whether to pursue Act 1 exceptions. Scully said the district’s current working gap for 2026–27 is “almost $15,200,000” and emphasized the figures are preliminary.
Scully explained several of the line items that produced the mid‑year adjustments. A reclassification of certain charter school enrollments from regular education to special education increased 2024–25 “other services” spending by about $244,000, and a reconciliation of actual September teacher salaries (about $84,129) versus the prior budget assumption (about $84,593) produced per‑teacher savings that, multiplied by the district’s headcount of 1,083 teachers, produced roughly $506,000 in salary savings.
On federal program funding, Scully said the district expects reductions in Title I, Title III and other federal allocations; he reported a projected $167,000 reduction in Title I and smaller shifts in Title II, Title III, Title IV and IDEA funds. The committee packet showed total expense reductions of roughly $941,000 and revenue reductions of about $329,000, producing the stated $417,000 net improvement for 2025–26.
The Property & Finance Committee presented the 2026–27 budget calendar that sets a December timeframe to decide whether the board will reserve the right to apply for Act 1 exceptions or adopt a resolution to remain within the Act 1 index (this year reported at 3.6 percent). If the board reserves the right to apply for exceptions, Scully said a preliminary budget would need to be available for board action in January (February at the latest); if the board elects not to apply for exceptions, the preliminary schedule mirrors prior years with a preliminary budget in April and final adoption in mid‑May.
The committee’s recommendation to advance the calendar to the full board was approved by voice vote.
The district cautioned that the 2026–27 estimate is early and subject to change as salaries, enrollment and state/federal revenue decisions are finalized.
