Superintendent Dr. Johnson told the Wallingford‑Swarthmore School District Board on Nov. 20 that the district is already seeing fiscal pressures for fiscal year 2027, largely driven by fixed costs under existing bargaining agreements and growing capital needs. He said the administration will bring more detailed options to the board in coming months and has scheduled two community conversations on Dec. 8 — a daytime session at 9:30 a.m. and an evening session at 6 p.m. — to gather public feedback on potential savings and priorities.

Johnson said the district will start by looking for savings “furthest from the classroom,” but cautioned that some difficult tradeoffs could affect programs and services. He described a multiyear budgeting approach and invited community and staff ideas to refine proposals the administration will present to the board ahead of the May budget vote.

Board members pressed for more context on several operational items that could affect the budget, notably the cleaning contract. One member asked whether the district will go out for competitive proposals; Johnson said the current contract is ending and the district will solicit proposals this winter, including staffing models tied to square footage and PASBO (Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials) benchmarking. A public commenter also asked the board to explain a $2,568,000 figure shown in meeting materials; the commenter said it was not explained during the presentation and requested clarification.

The superintendent framed the work as an iterative, community‑informed process and said administration and board will use public forums to pressure‑test options before the final budget is presented for board approval in May.