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Downingtown Area SD finances: clean audit, modest state increases and cyber-charter formula shift
Summary
The district reported a clean 2024–25 audit with a small operating deficit rolled into a $21.1 million general fund balance; state adequacy funding and a new cyber-charter tuition formula together will modestly improve the district’s position for 2025–26, officials said.
The Downingtown Area SD presented a clean audit for fiscal 2024–25 but with a small operating shortfall rolled into reserves, officials reported.
Superintendent Dr. O'Donnell turned the audit update over to finance staff Brian, who said the general fund posted revenues of "$288,838,089" against budgeted revenue of $284,677,000 and operating expenditures of $282,338,873. "Taking those...the transfers away from the revenue, we're left with a net deficit of $1,838,000," Brian said, leaving a projected beginning fund balance of about $21,121,000 rolling into 2025–26. Brian commended Mike DeAngelis and his team for their work and said the delay in finalizing the full audit report was due to auditor staffing, not district issues.
Brian also mapped how the recently approved state budget affects the district. He said the state included modest increases for basic education (about $105 million statewide) and additional special-education funding of roughly $40 million statewide, but directed more of its resources to a "ready to learn adequacy supplement" intended to close local adequacy gaps over multiple years. Downingtown's share of basic education in 2024–25 was shown at roughly $19,000,745, an increase of about $281,832 (1.45%) on basic ed; when adequacy payments are included Brian estimated the district will receive about $5.56 million more than budgeted this year.
On charter funding, Brian said a change to the cyber-charter tuition formula allows additional deductions for items such as facilities and transportation. He estimated the formula change will reduce DASD's payments to cyber charters by about $133,000 for 2025–26 but noted the state discontinued a separate $175,000 transition reimbursement the district received last year. "So it's kind of a net loss for us, at least for this first year," he said.
Board members pressed for clarity on special-education tuition calculations and whether the state will absorb federal funding obligations; Brian said the special-ed tuition number is currently a single rate and that there was no confirmed reallocation of federal funds at the time of the meeting.
The district indicated it will post the finalized audit report on a future board agenda when available. No formal vote on the audit or budget changes is recorded in the provided transcript.
