Mister Lentz, the district’s finance lead, briefed the Boyertown Area School District board on the state budget’s immediate effects and next steps for applying new funds.

"The state's allocation is $3,600,000," Lentz said, pointing to a roughly $1 million increase in adequacy funding compared with the district’s prior expectation. He said overall increases to basic and special education funding were modest — "just shy of a $150,000 increase" in line items — while the larger change was in the adequacy allocation intended to address long-standing funding shortfalls.

Lentz told the board the state also created a $100,000,000 competitive grant program for facilities and infrastructure projects, with a stated minimum project cost of $500,000. He urged administration to evaluate HVAC and other capital projects for eligibility and said the district will prepare a comprehensive application when criteria and forms are released.

The budget also changed how charter-school funding is handled. Lentz explained the state eliminated a standalone charter revenue line and instituted a two-pronged change: (1) added deductions for cyber charter costs and (2) provided districts an option to calculate tuition using an alternative multiplier, which the administration said it will review once the state releases the official tuition-calculation form.

Board members asked whether the district’s reliance on local revenue differs from other districts. Lentz said Boyertown remains heavily supported by local revenues — "almost 70% of our budget" — compared with many districts closer to a roughly 50% state/local split. He cautioned that while the budget settlement is welcome, the district still has a significant adequacy gap to close over multiple years.

The board did not take action on the briefing but asked administration to return with draft plans for the competitive facilities grant and a clearer estimate of the charter-related savings once the state form is published. The superintendent and finance staff said they would prepare those analyses as the state releases implementation guidance.