Gettysburg Area SD presents two budget options; board debates fund balance, ACTI funding and staffing costs

Gettysburg Area School District administrators presented two budget options to the board: a 1% tax increase and a 1.5% tax increase. Administration reported projected revenues of about $77,500,000 and proposed expenditures of roughly $79,214,000, leaving a planned draw on the district's fund balance of about $1,600,000 under the 1% scenario.

Administration said the district’s beginning unassigned fund balance for the next budget cycle is $6,300,000 and noted board policy requires retaining roughly 6% of expenditures (about $4,700,000) as unreserved fund balance. The presentation laid out changes since the prior budget draft including higher property/casualty insurance costs, addition of ACTI tuition into the budget figures, updated county assessment estimates for revenue, and a reduction in planned capital funding from $1,000,000 to $696,000 to help reach the 1% option.

Administrators described the difference between the two options as the level of millage increase (1% vs. 1.5%) and emphasized the board must set the budget before the annual audit and before final state revenue figures are known. “I would not want to…