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Board authorizes public posting of proposed preliminary budget tied to a 5.29% Act 1 special-education exception
Summary
The Methacton School Board authorized making the proposed preliminary budget available for public inspection to permit applying for an Act 1 special-education exception with a possible 5.29% tax increase; the PDE-2028 form will be posted and available for 20 days before the February vote. Several board members called for alternatives to avoid high tax increases.
At the Jan. 27 board meeting, the Methacton School Board voted to authorize the administration to make the proposed preliminary budget available for public inspection — a procedural step required to allow the district to apply to the state for an Act 1 special-education exception with a proposed tax increase of 5.29%.
Administration staff said the district will file the PDE-2028 form and post it on the district website Thursday, with a hard copy available at the Farina office; the form will be available for the required 20 days before the February vote. "The PDE 20 28 will be made available on our website and we will also have a hard copy at Farina," said the district representative.
Public commenters and several board members expressed concern about the accuracy of historical financial figures and urged consideration of alternate reductions rather than taking the special-education exception. One public commenter said recorded actuals did not match prior presentations and urged the board to compare numbers before moving forward. Board member Winters and others listed alternate reductions presented to finance committee — totaling roughly $1,560,000 — which include eliminating several long-term substitute positions, cutting building substitutes, reducing three unarmed police officers and reducing portions of the Reach mental-health support program.
Board members said they do not take these program reductions lightly. "They are not pet projects; they are the educational delivery aspects to the district," Winters said, describing the proposed reductions as core services that would be difficult choices. Other board members voiced a preference to find ways to avoid a 5.29% tax increase while acknowledging the district faces multiple rising costs.
The motion to authorize public posting of the proposed preliminary budget (the step enabling an Act 1 application) carried 8–0. Administration said it will provide the PDE-2028 materials and additional documentation online and in hard copy, and will continue to examine alternatives and further budget details for the board over the coming weeks.
