Board approves $5.33 million in January expenditures and moves $2.815 million to capital reserve; business office flags $7.7 million budget gap

The Carlisle Area School District board approved routine financial motions and received an updated expenditure forecast during its February meeting.

The board voted to approve January expenditures totaling $5,327,391.61 across the general, student activity, capital reserve, capital projects and food service funds. Separately, the board approved a motion to transfer $2,815,000 from the general fund into the capital reserve fund to fund the district—s planned capital projects for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Business operations staff reviewed revenues and expenditures: year-to-date current real estate tax collections were reported at $56.1 million with a 96.59% collection rate versus a budgeted 96.7%. Staff noted a temporary delay in pass-through funds from the intermediate unit owing to a state/federal budget impasse. The presentation said property equipment appeared overspent because the district had paid for high-school HVAC replacement work pending reimbursement through a public facilities grant.

Looking ahead to fiscal 2026-27, the business office projected a 5.42% increase in expenditures, driven primarily by contractually obligated salary increases and a projected $2.5 million rise in special-education tuition. Staff outlined a potential $7.7 million gap between revenues and expenditures; Governor Josh Shapiro—s proposed budget could provide roughly $2.3 million to Carlisle if enacted, lowering the estimated shortfall to about $5.4 million. The board scheduled further line-by-line budget review in April and will not finalize next year—s budget until June.