Southern York County board authorizes advertisement of $67.99M proposed budget that trims staff through attrition

The Southern York County School Board on April 16 authorized administration to advertise a proposed $67,990,227 general fund budget for 2026–27 that would use district reserves and reduce staffing through attrition.

Administrators said projected revenues are about $343,000 below budgeted levels and that the proposed plan would tap roughly $2.7 million of fund balance this year to balance operations and capital transfers. "We are projecting to use about $1.3 million of fund balance in 25‑26," Finance Director Trevor Carrington told the board during a detailed presentation of revenues and expenditures.

The budget presented includes a reduction of 13 professional staff positions and seven support positions, officials said. The district plans to achieve those reductions mainly through retirements, resignations or unfilled vacancies rather than layoffs. Administrators also proposed reducing building discretionary budgets by about 10 percent and not including any amount for millage or future building updates in the proposed document.

Board members pressed for details about where cuts would land and how they would affect class size, special education and extracurricular programs. Carrington and the district’s chief financial officer, Susan Green, said many of the proposed changes reflect a long decline in enrollment — nearly an 11.6 percent decrease since 2019 — and structural cost drivers such as health insurance and utilities. Green said, "This budget uses fund balance and assumes a reduction in positions through attrition." She added that state homestead/farmstead payments reduce local taxes but cannot be used to cover operating costs.

During public comment, parents and district alumni urged the board to reconsider cuts and to consider modest tax increases instead. Teacher-turned-parent Abby Bernell said cutting positions "eliminates learning opportunities for our students" and urged the board to weigh revenue options; Evan Bernell, a middle‑school coach, said the district's tax rate remains among the lowest in the county and argued measured increases would be preferable to program reductions.

Trustees also discussed procedural items tied to the budget process. The board passed a resolution directing administration to advertise the proposed final general fund budget; the measure carried and clears the way for the legally required public notice and the final budget adoption and tax‑levy vote at the May 2026 meeting.

What happens next: administration will post the proposed budget for public review and return to the board in May for final action on the budget and the tax rate. The board’s financial officers told trustees they will provide more detailed, itemized lists about positions and program impacts before the final vote so the public can see where reductions would fall.