Athens Area School District board reviews preliminary budget showing $2.755 million shortfall; places budget on display

The Athens Area School District board on May (preliminary meeting) reviewed a proposed preliminary budget that district leaders said started with an estimated $4.3 million deficit and, after adjustments, showed a remaining shortfall of about $2,755,000; the board voted to place that preliminary budget on public display ahead of a final vote in June.

Superintendent Dr. Sage said the district “started with a deficit of approximately $4,300,000” and that leaders have been working to reduce that gap. “We have to actually make some hard decisions,” Dr. Sage told the board during the presentation, emphasizing use of one-time federal relief and the need for ongoing savings.

The presentation, led by Dr. Sage with business manager Doreen Secor assisting, traced the gap to four main drivers: the use and exhaustion of one-time ESSER relief funds, modest local tax increases during the pandemic period, rising salary and benefit costs and a sharp increase in cyber charter tuition payments. Secor reviewed figures that the district used about $8.4 million in ESSER and related one-time federal relief over recent years and that health-care, special-education and contractual salary increases were major ongoing expenditure pressures.

Why it matters

District leaders said the exhaustion of one-time federal funds, growth in cyber charter costs and only modest tax increases during and after the pandemic have left the district dependent on fund balances unless recurring revenues are raised or…