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Carlisle Area SD presents proposed 2026–27 budget, recommends 4.2% tax increase
Summary
Administrators presented a proposed $124.4 million 2026–27 budget that balances operational revenues and expenditures by assuming full state funding increases and a 4.2% local tax increase; the board was warned the plan relies on one‑time fund‑balance support for short‑term debt spikes and includes program reductions such as scaled‑back elementary summer learning.
Administrators of the Carlisle Area School District on May 7 presented a proposed 2026–27 budget that would raise the district’s millage by 4.2% and use assigned fund balance to cover a short‑term debt overlap. The proposal calls for operational revenues of about $122.4 million and projected expenditures of $124.4 million, with a $2.065 million draw from reserves to close the gap for next year.
The budget presentation, led by Mr. Statler, assumes the district will receive 100% of the governor’s proposed increases for basic education, special education, adequacy (“Ready to Learn”) funding and increases to CTE allocations. “We are assuming 100% of the governor’s budget,” Statler said, noting that Basic Education Funding and the Ready to Learn adequacy payment are sizable drivers of the revenue change.
Administrators told the finance committee that salary and benefit increases total about $1.6 million and that special‑education tuition and cyber/charter tuition remain major cost drivers. Statler said the district had cut about $1.3 million from April’s draft — including attrition of five CBA positions, removal of two support‑staff positions and reductions to summer learning — to help move toward a balanced operational budget.
Board members pressed administrators on the revenue assumptions and risks if the state appropriation falls short. Board member John asked about digital access and classroom set policies for the recommended sociology textbook; others asked how long the district could rely on reserves. “If you pull recurring dollars from the fund balance, you start the next budget year already in a hole,” Statler told the committee, explaining the district’s caution about using reserves for recurring costs.
The administration said the proposed tax increase would produce a millage of 18.0986, and estimated the increase on a $100,000 assessed home would be about $72.95 annually (before homestead/farmstead exclusions). Officials also noted the district’s assigned fund balance equaled about 7.2% of the budget, within the 5–8% recommended range but lower than more conservative targets.
The committee previewed that the board will vote on the proposed final budget at its next meeting; until then, the presentation served as a recommendation and a call for trustees to weigh community impact against program stability. Several trustees said, despite reservations about the burden on taxpayers, they believed the 4.2% increase was the responsible option to avoid deeper structural cuts.
Next steps: the board is scheduled to adopt a proposed final budget next week; a final budget vote is set for the board’s June meeting.
