Northern Lehigh School Board adopts preliminary 4.8% tax increase for 2026–27 budget

The Northern Lehigh School Board voted to adopt a preliminary 2026–27 budget that includes a 4.8% preliminary tax increase, the board president announced after roll call. The motion to set the preliminary tax increase and to adopt the budget percentage passed by roll call 8–1. The administration also reported preliminary millage rates of 26.7255 for Lehigh County and 85.7432 for Northampton County.

The business manager presented the condensed budget and said the district’s current fund balance “rests at about $18,500,000” and that the administration expects to use roughly $1,260,000 of fund balance to balance the coming year. The presentation listed projected expenditures of $44,218,800 and projected revenues of $42,202,000, producing a structural shortfall the business manager quantified as about $2,016,061 absent additional revenues. The administration said a 4.8% tax increase — the board’s adjusted index — would yield approximately $859,926 in additional revenue.

Why it matters: the preliminary adoption sets the highest possible tax increase the board may levy when it posts the final budget; the board stressed that the 4.8% figure is a preliminary maximum and that negotiations and further review may reduce the final increase. The business manager noted a $3,000,000 transfer to the capital reserve earlier in the year, and recommended that one‑time purchases be funded from fund balance rather than recurring revenue.

Public comment and board response: a member of the public who identified himself at the meeting urged the board to limit tax increases and recommended alternative revenue ideas including fundraising events and cooperative health‑care arrangements with neighboring districts. The board president responded that the district participates in a medical consortium to seek better health‑care rates with other districts.

Impact on homeowners: the presentation included examples for homeowners using county median assessed values. For Lehigh County, a median assessed home valued at about $151,009 would see an estimated $111 annual tax‑bill increase under a 4.8% levy, the business manager said. The business manager emphasized that the preliminary figure is the statutory maximum used now for planning; the board will consider final adjustments before final adoption in June.

The board’s next steps: final budget adoption remains on the June agenda. The administration said it will provide homestead and farmstead figures after county certification (by May 1) and asked board members to propose specific cuts if they seek to lower the millage before final adoption.