Altoona Area School District posts preliminary 2025-26 budget for public comment; board approves routine contracts, calendar and personnel items

The Altoona Area School District Board of Directors voted to post a preliminary 2025-26 general fund budget that includes a proposed 3% tax increase so the budget can be inspected and the public can comment.

Board members approved the posting after a roll-call vote. Board members recorded as voting “yes” were Mr. Mignon, Mr. Francis, Mrs. Adams, Mrs. McGinnis, Mr. Cook, Mr. McCauley and Mr. Pappas; the motion carried.

Why it matters: The vote allows the district to meet the public-notice requirement for the preliminary budget while leaving the final tax decision to the board when it votes on the final budget in June. Several board members objected to any tax increase this year and urged the board to consider using fund balance instead.

Board actions taken at the meeting included approval of minutes, routine finance items, education and personnel recommendations, several contracts and an event permit. The board approved:

- Minutes from the April 14 regular meeting and the April 28 committee-of-the-whole meeting. - Finance items including renewal of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association (PSBA) all-access membership for 2025-26 and insurance renewals for 2025-26. Administration also recommended the district maintain a $200,000 allocation to the Altoona Area Public Library for 2025-26. - Education items including the 2025-26 district calendar, affiliation agreements with Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania and the University of Phoenix for student placements and internships, establishment of the William F. Sankey Memorial Scholarship at $500 annually, approval of multiple field trips and approval of several student disciplinary actions as outlined in the provided hearings. - Personnel items, including renewal of the UPMC WorkPartners employee assistance program at $1.09 per member per month with a 3% annual increase thereafter. The personnel motion carried with one abstention noted by Kelly on an athletics item due to a family conflict. - Student services agreements with Central Intermediate Unit 10 (fee-for-service, effective 04/24/2025) and Merakey Pennsylvania (08/01/2025–07/31/2026). - Business operations items: a contract recommendation from Bergmeier's Hauling for garbage and recycling services with an initial estimated contract value of $138,216.12 (with optional two-year renewals); awarding a photography contract to 220 Studios for secondary clubs and athletics for 2025-26; approval of cooperative purchasing agreements (Keystone Purchasing Network, CoStars, PEPPM, PPM, US Communities, Sourcewell, Omnia and Apple Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8) and designation of depositories for 2025-26; approval to advertise an RFP for a vehicle fuel supplier; approval of Mets Culinary Management for 2025-26 food service management; and approval of a security services agreement with the Greater Altoona Career and Technology Center. - New-business items: the board approved the Blair American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life request to use Mansion Park (June 12–14, with setup and event dates provided) and approved settlement agreements with Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School and with the parents of student 851178, authorizing the board president to sign necessary documents.

What board members said: Several members explicitly opposed raising taxes this year and urged the board to use fund balance or wait. One board member said, “I just like to put a tax increase on hold,” and others said they preferred a 0% increase; those statements were part of the public deliberation but do not change that the board voted to post the preliminary budget with the 3% figure for public comment.

Background and context: Board members discussed the district’s fund balance (projected in discussion at about $33.09 million) and noted the district’s substantial spending on cyber charter tuition — a member said the payments to cyber charter schools exceeded $500,000 on the most recent payments list and represented a significant portion of the expenses shown. Several members tied their opposition to a tax increase to the district’s substantial fund balance and recent years’ tax history.

Next steps: The preliminary budget will be posted for public inspection at the Altoona Area School District business office and on the district website; the board will consider final adoption, including any millage rate action, at its June meeting.