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Souderton Area SD previews budget earlier this year; preliminary budget to be posted Jan. 2

Souderton Area SD Committee of the Whole · December 10, 2025

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Summary

Finance staff presented a revenue-focused budget preview: local revenue remains the largest share (~75%), special education costs are a primary pressure, and administration plans to post a preliminary budget for public inspection Jan. 2 and present it to the board in January.

Mister Taylor gave the committee an early look at revenue assumptions and the district’s budget calendar. He said the district is "shifting left" its budget timeline to give the board more review time and that a preliminary budget will be posted for public inspection on Jan. 2, with committee review on Jan. 14 and a board action to adopt the preliminary budget on Jan. 20. The proposed final budget presentation is scheduled for April 30 and final adoption on June 18.

Taylor outlined revenue composition from last year’s actuals: roughly 75% local sources, 24% state, and about 1.1% federal. He highlighted that special-education costs remain a major and growing expenditure (Taylor cited roughly $30 million spent on special ed) and described the Act 1 index (this year 3.5%) and the exceptions process for exceeding the index—principally the special-education exception could apply if the preliminary budget deficit meets the state worksheet calculation.

Board members asked for more detail on the 'other local revenue' category, which aggregates many small lines, and requested 3‑, 5‑, and 10‑year trend views to separate ESSER-era distortion from underlying trends. Taylor said more granular revenue breakdowns and debt-service impacts (including the projects discussed earlier) will be provided ahead of January meetings. He also shared small positive grant updates: an increase of $50,000 to a Ready to Learn grant, $45,000 via Univest EITC, and a $40,000 corporate gift routed through the district foundation.