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IU20 director outlines $4.6 million operating budget, asks member districts for 3.5% increase
Summary
Dr. Woelfel presented IU20’s general operating budget to the Easton Area SD board, describing a proposed $4.6 million budget (a 5.99% increase, about $265,000) and requesting a 3.5% contribution increase from member districts; he cited salaries and benefits as primary cost drivers and described IU programs serving roughly 2,500 young children in early intervention.
Dr. Woelfel, presenting on behalf of IU20, told the Easton Area SD board the IU’s general operating budget for the coming year is about $4.6 million, a 5.99% increase (approximately $265,000). He said IU20 is asking member districts for a 3.5% increase in contributions; for Easton Area SD that increase was described in the presentation as roughly $67,000 in district contribution (the presenter described $2,299 as the arithmetic district increase in context).
“What you’ll be voting on upcoming is our general operating budget. Small budget, it’s 1 of 55 budget. It only comprises 1.6 of our total revenue, but it’s the base budget that supports the core operations of the IU services,” Dr. Woelfel said. He told the board that salaries and benefits make up about 87.7% of the operating budget and identified rising medical costs and an Act 93 agreement coming to term as major cost pressures.
Dr. Woelfel outlined next steps: the IU20 board and individual districts will review the proposal, the IU20 board will give final approval and the budget must be sent to Harrisburg by May 1. He noted the IU’s eight-year average contribution request has been a little over 1% and emphasized the growth in state-funded early intervention services that IU20 provides.
Beyond budget numbers, Dr. Woelfel highlighted IU20 programs: early intervention services that serve about 2,500 children annually (state-funded), a school-based partial hospitalization program overseen by a licensed psychiatrist that keeps children in school-based settings rather than out-of-district residential placements, and professional-development and student programs (Junior Technology Leaders, competitions). He said these services are primarily people-driven — “there’s not a lot of fluff” — and the IU must balance salary, benefits and other non-salary costs while seeking additional revenue sources.
The presentation included a short IU20 video summarizing services and invited board members to submit follow-up questions to Ms. Piazza. The presentation was informational; any formal board action on the IU20 operating budget would follow the districts’ review and the IU20 board’s approval schedule.
