Schuylkill Valley board approves 2025–26 budget with no tax increase; board cites formula limits

The Schuylkill Valley School District board approved the proposed final general fund budget for the 2025–26 school year on April 29, voting 9-0 to adopt a $49,771,002.95 balanced budget that does not increase the millage rate.

Board members and district staff presented the budget as a no-tax-increase plan after a multiweek process that included department-level reviews and budget workshops. Kristin Wallace of the district business office led the board through a presentation explaining revenue assumptions, state funding projections and expenditure changes.

Wallace said the district budgeted conservatively because the state appropriation process was still under legislative review. She summarized proposed statewide funding changes the district considered while building the budget: a proposed $75 million increase for the basic education formula, a $40 million increase in special education funding, and a $526 million proposal tied to a ready-to-learn block grant. The district’s projected share of state increases was limited, Wallace said, because Schuylkill Valley’s median household income and local effort capacity index reduce its adjusted average daily membership in the state formula; that lowers the district’s per-pupil state allocation relative to other districts.

Wallace told the board the proposed budget relies on a 1% increase in taxable assessment value, uses a conservative 97% collection rate for current real estate tax revenue and assumes state funding figures proposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. The budget maintains current staffing and program levels; total salaries and benefits make up about 80% of expenditures, Wallace said, and a 1% budgetary reserve was included.

On the expenditure side, the district projected a roughly $1.5 million increase in salaries, wages and benefits, driven by average staff increases of about 4% and rising benefit costs through a consortium; overall revenue increases were estimated at about $2.2 million year over year. Wallace also noted the Schuylkill Valley Education Center (previously the youth center) was budgeted at $636,000.

During discussion, board members emphasized the district’s multi-year record of avoiding tax increases — “11 out of the last 13 years,” one member said — and warned that state formula changes and county tax actions can still influence residents’ overall tax bills. The board also discussed the potential risk from federal funding if certification or policy changes occur at the state level; Wallace said federal Title funds represent about 1% of district revenue and that the district had contingency plans should federal streams change.

After the presentation and discussion the board voted 9-0 to approve the proposed final budget; the district will post the budget for the required 30-day public display and proceed with tax-billing preparations under state timelines.