Finance committee moves to apply for state facility, mental‑health and survey grants; previews 2026–27 budget assumptions

Colonial SD’s finance committee met March 2 and authorized staff to pursue several grant opportunities while outlining preliminary assumptions for the district’s 2026–27 budget.

Committee members reviewed a Commonwealth public‑school facility improvement program administered by DCED that has $125 million available statewide. Staff said the program will fund capital needs (roofs, HVAC, accessibility) at up to 75% of approved costs, with the district responsible for the remaining 25%, and said no project may be more than $5 million in request. Colonial SD plans to submit five applications tied to roof and major facility work, including projects at White Marsh Elementary, Colonial Elementary (total cost cited near $5.2M, capped at a $5M request), Bridge Park Elementary and others. Staff cautioned there is no guarantee of award and stressed the program’s prohibition on starting construction before awards are issued.

The committee also authorized applying for a PCCD mental‑health grant focused on K–2 mental‑health supports (a base of $100,000 plus enrollment‑based supplements) and a roughly $70,000 grant to fund K–5 climate/SEL surveys and third‑party analysis (staff estimated about $35,000 of grant funds would pay an external contractor for survey analysis).

Because the mental‑health application requires a board resolution and the PCCD deadline was imminent, staff asked the board to hold a short special meeting (proposed March 9) to allow the business manager to submit the application and the board to approve required resolutions. Mr. Sian, who presented the finance agenda, told the committee: “We’re asking … for approval for myself and Mr. [Light] to be appointed as the point people for the Colonial school district for each application.”

On the operating budget, staff summarized elements of Governor Shapiro’s proposed 2026–27 state budget — some increases in basic and special‑education funding and a proposed $125 million public‑school facility grant program — but emphasized that Colonial SD’s direct net gain from the governor’s proposal would likely be modest (staff estimated about $210,000 across several lines). The committee reiterated that the district is planning around a 3.5% local tax increase to balance the projected $165 million budget and noted the district’s reserves: roughly $12.4 million unassigned and approximately $26 million total general‑fund balances. Staff cautioned that grants require maintenance‑of‑effort commitments and that award timing and state budget passage could delay reimbursements.

Next steps: staff will submit the identified grant applications, seek a special‑board meeting for required resolutions, and continue preparing the district’s proposed 2026–27 budget for committee and full‑board review in April.