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Chester-Upland officials say state budget brings mixed changes: $7.9 million increase, lost charter-transition payment
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Summary
At a Nov. 17 Committee of the Whole meeting, Dr. Morales told board members the recently enacted state budget produces a new "charter savings" revenue line for Chester-Upland but also removes last year's charter-transition payment and reduces some basic and special education increases; the business office will present updated budget comparisons next week.
Dr. Morales briefed the Chester-Upland School District Committee of the Whole on Nov. 17, saying the state budget approved this cycle produced both gains and losses for the district.
"For Chester Upland School District this year, we've seen an increase of $7,900,000," Dr. Morales said during the meeting, and she described a newly created "charter savings" revenue line tied to cyber-charter reform in the enacted budget. She also said the district lost last year's charter-transition payment and saw reductions to some basic and special education increases received the previous year.
Why it matters: the budget changes are the product of what Dr. Morales characterized as a decade-long effort. She said the funding shifts reflect about 10 years of lawsuits, advocacy and students traveling to Harrisburg to press lawmakers for reforms. "I want everyone to be clear that this is the result of about 10 years of lawsuits and advocating and a whole bunch of people," she said, adding that many student advocates have now graduated.
Details and caveats: Dr. Morales warned the district had been at risk during the recent state budget impasse. "We were the only state without an approved budget, which means we didn't have state funds flowing and we didn't have federal funding flowing," she said, adding that without an approved budget some schools could have faced closure. She described the charter-savings amount as a change in how the district reports and claims savings (similar to a tax deduction), noting the adjustment affects the PDE-363 filing process.
District next steps: board members asked the business office for a follow-up showing how the newly available figures will change the district's projections compared with the numbers adopted at the start of the school year. A business office representative agreed to coordinate and said staff would provide a response by next week.
No formal vote or budget adoption occurred at the Committee of the Whole; the presentation and requests for follow-up were informational and will inform future action at the receiver's meeting or a future board session.
