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Coatesville Area SD presents preliminary $258M 2026–27 budget, projects $10.8M gap
Summary
District administrators presented a proposed $258 million 2026–27 budget, saying state subsidies largely drive a $11.6 million revenue increase but that a projected $10.8 million gap remains; staff outlined tax-rate scenarios and flagged charter and special-education tuition as major cost drivers.
Coatesville Area School District administrators on May 12 presented a preliminary $258 million budget for fiscal year 2026–27 and said the district currently projects a $10.8 million gap.
Dr. Barek, a district presenter, said the proposed budget increases from $242 million last year to $258 million, a rise of about $16 million (6.61%). He told the finance committee the district is proposing $247.1 million in revenue, up $11.6 million from the prior year, driven primarily by increased state subsidies ($9.4 million) and higher local revenue tied to assessment growth and collection-rate adjustments (~$2.2 million).
Administrators said the largest expenditure drivers are salaries and benefits, contracted obligations, special-education services, charter tuition, transportation and debt-service obligations. The presentation included modeled tax scenarios: a 3.5% tax-rate increase would reduce the projected gap to about $6 million; a 4.0% increase would lower it to roughly $5.2 million; and the district’s maximum allowed increase (an adjusted index of 4.5%) would still leave an estimated $4.5 million shortfall.
A district presenter explained how charter tuition calculations under PTE 363 can sharply raise costs for districts with a higher proportion of special-education students. "If you are a district where 15% of your student body are special education, that would result in those numbers being your charter tuition payments," the presenter said. She added that in districts with higher special-ed shares the statutory denominator changes per-pupil tuition assumptions, which can raise special-education charter payments substantially.
Committee members asked about the reliability of the state-revenue estimate; Finance staff said they were "pretty confident" in the number but emphasized the usual balancing act between optimism and fiscal prudence. Administrators listed next steps: continue refining expenditures and revenues, review staffing and departmental budgets, evaluate charter trends, identify balancing strategies and prepare for final adoption at a special school-board meeting scheduled for June 9 (the district noted a June 30 deadline for adoption). Staff said use of fund balance would be strategic and a last resort.
The finance committee accepted the presentation and asked staff to return with further analysis and possible balancing options ahead of the June final adoption meeting.
