Coatesville preliminary 2026'27 budget shows $12.6M gap; trustees advance resolution and schedule special meeting

Coatesville Area School District administrators presented the 2026'27 preliminary budget to the finance committee, reporting proposed expenditures near $256.7 million and projected revenues of about $244.0 million, yielding an estimated budget gap of approximately $12.6 million.

Lori Diefendorfer, who led the revenue-and-expense review, said major cost drivers include a $4.25 million increase in professional and technical services (including special education), a $4.22 million rise in debt and other obligations tied to capital projects, salaries and benefits up about 3.1%, and approximately $1.72 million in higher charter and transportation costs. Diefendorfer said the district's state funding projections contributed about a $9.4 million increase in revenue but do not close the gap.

Superintendent Dr. Rybarczyk and staff outlined next steps: deeper departmental reviews, monitoring charter enrollment and special-education invoice trends, evaluating possible revenue options tied to the Act 1 index, and limiting use of fund balance where possible. The chair noted legal requirements for a preliminary adoption and clarified that the preliminary budget step does not itself constitute a tax increase.

Trustees pressed staff on how charter tuition formulas allocate special-education cost (the committee heard the per-student special-education rate can vary widely and that the formula often assumes a default share), local revenue sensitivity to tax reassessment, and the district's plan for staffing and facilities costs. Administration said many proposed position additions are contingent on final staffing and enrollment and that some positions will be placed in budgetary reserves until needed.

The finance committee voted to forward the preliminary budget adoption resolution and notice of the special meeting to the full board for final action under Act 1; final budget adoption must occur before June 30.