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Board urges state lawmakers to fix Morrisville Borough SD funding formula as district readies 2026–27 budget
Summary
At a regular meeting, board members said a long-standing state funding-formula problem leaves Morrisville Borough SD underfunded; the finance chair urged continued legislative advocacy while staff laid out preliminary millage estimates and district budget deadlines.
Ms. Getty, the board’s finance chair, told the Morrisville Borough School District board that a funding-formula problem specific to the district has left it inadequately funded for 14 years and asked state legislators to keep advocating for relief. “We have investigated the cost of the district for every idea presented to us,” she said, adding that most options — apart from a merger — would cost more than the district is spending now and are therefore untenable.
The board discussed short-term cash-flow concerns after the state budget passed. A board member asked whether the state subsidy will arrive as a lump sum or in installments; district staff said the timing and form of distribution have not yet been communicated by the state and that the district is awaiting details, including how Act 85 (debt-service/subsidy adjustments) will affect final subsidy amounts. “We have not been told at this time as to whether it would be a lump sum or payments,” a district official said.
Dan Baboska, the business manager, presented preliminary Act 1/index numbers and a proposed allowable millage for the 2026–27 school year, and read an estimated total revenue figure. He cautioned the figures are preliminary and depend on assessed values and homestead counts; the board asked him to repeat the current and proposed millage figures on the record. The business manager also noted the index increase used in the estimate was 4.1 percent.
Board members emphasized the need for careful, long-term planning. The chair and others cautioned that modifications tied to census or enrollment data have trade-offs for students and the community, and noted that three new board members will join as early as next month, necessitating time to brief incoming members and develop a proposed budget. District administration said department budgets, delayed by recent events, will be completed shortly and that a formal budget proposal should be ready for board review in January at the latest.
Why it matters: Board members said the funding-formula problem is structural and will continue to affect the district unless the legislature or state education officials change how subsidies are calculated. The district is moving quickly to finalize internal budgets and to meet state and district deadlines that govern how preliminary budgets and referendum exceptions are calculated.
Next steps: District staff will finalize department budgets after the Thanksgiving holiday, refine the preliminary millage proposal, and present a budget proposal to the board in January; the board requested continued updates on state subsidy timing.
