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Berwick Area SD hears draft budget showing $2.9 million shortfall; consultants outline options
Summary
The Berwick Area School District board reviewed a draft 2026–27 budget showing a roughly $2.9 million deficit. Consultants and administrators flagged health-insurance increases, special-education tuition, utilities and debt service as primary drivers and said options to close the gap will be presented to the board.
The Berwick Area School District board heard a draft 2026–27 budget presentation Tuesday that projects roughly $56.68 million in revenues against $59.59 million in expenses, leaving an estimated $2.9 million deficit.
School Business Consultant Jim Marabelli, who presented the draft, described it as a working document and said the administration has modeled salaries and benefits to reflect expected costs despite ongoing contract negotiations. "I'm calling this the draft budget, not quite the preliminary budget," Marabelli said, adding that the package is organized to let board members compare year-over-year variances.
Why it matters: the consultants and administration identified a handful of largely fixed cost drivers that leave limited discretionary room. Marabelli highlighted a modeled 7.9% increase in health-insurance premiums that adds about $470,000 to…
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