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Carlisle Area School District board adopts 2025–26 budget, approves personnel, contracts and capital reallocations
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Summary
At its regular June meeting the Carlisle Area School District board adopted the 2025–26 final budget, approved personnel appointments and multiple contracts, and reallocated capital reserve funds for athletic facility improvements. The board also approved the homestead and farmstead exclusion and updates to the Act 93 administrative agreement.
The Carlisle Area School District Board of Directors on Wednesday approved the district’s final 2025–26 budget, ratified multiple personnel appointments and contracts, and authorized reallocations in capital reserves while also adopting a resolution to implement the homestead and farmstead exclusion for the coming fiscal year.
The board voted to adopt the final budget before state revenue allocations were finalized. Colleen Friend, superintendent, presented the budget framework and finance chair Bruce summarized the process. Bruce said administration reduced projected costs and refined revenue estimates but noted the district must absorb an overlap in debt service after issuing a bond to begin K–2 construction. The board approved the budget by roll-call vote; the motion carried.
Why it matters: Adoption of the budget sets tuition, staffing and capital priorities for the year that begins July 1 and includes an anticipated tax increase of 3% on local taxpayers as presented to the board. The budget also relies on planned uses of assigned reserves to cover a temporary overlap in debt service payments.
Key votes and motions at the meeting included: the minutes of the May 15 meeting; the superintendent’s personnel report (appointments, leaves, transfers and resignations); district expenditures for May totaling $5,447,819.29; approval of posted facility, professional services, transportation and tuition contracts; revisions to the Act 93 administrative agreement; approval of board meeting dates for 2025–26; a memorandum of agreement with the Carlisle Area Education Association updating optional insurance products; reallocation of $70,000 in capital reserve funds to expand the scope of the baseball/softball batting cage project into a combined pavilion; approval of the homestead and farmstead exclusion resolution under Act 1; and formal adoption of the final 2025–26 budget.
On the budget, administrators said projected revenue was presented as roughly $117 million and that expenditures were slightly above that figure; the board approved using assigned fund balance to cover a remaining gap. The finance director, Mike Statler, noted several cost drivers for next year including contractual salary and benefit increases, increased special-education tuition, contracted positions, and higher charter and cyber-school payments. Board members discussed charter expenditures: the year-to-date total cited was $4,521,072 and next year’s budgeted estimate was described as slightly above $5,000,000.
On capital reserves, the board approved moving $70,000 from a districtwide parking-lot painting line item to the baseball/softball batting-cage project after the facilities manager found savings on other projects. Board members said the increased scope (combining batting cages under a pavilion) added about $60,000 to the original $120,000 estimate.
On property-tax relief, the board approved a resolution to implement the homestead and farmstead exclusion under Act 1 (special session of 2002). The administration reported 7,904 homesteads and 44 farmsteads eligible in the Carlisle Area School District and said the calculated credit will be $243.98 per eligible property for the coming tax year; the resolution passed.
Other formal approvals: the Act 93 agreement was updated to adjust salaries, vacation payouts, conference funding allowances and compensation for doctorate degrees for the non-bargaining administrative group; the board approved the memorandum of agreement updating optional insurance offerings after the bargaining unit approved it; and the board approved facility, professional services, transportation and tuition contracts that included a monthly psychiatric-services contract used for student evaluations.
Votes were taken by voice for many routine items and by roll call for the budget. All motions described above were recorded as carried at the meeting.
Ending: The board president thanked administration and staff, and the board scheduled committee and regular meetings for the 2025–26 year. The board noted it may add a second committee meeting during the year if needed and will comply with public-notice requirements when doing so.
