Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Montoursville Area School Board approves 2026–27 general fund budget after final presentations on millage and insurance costs
Summary
The Montoursville Area School Board voted June 9 to approve its general fund budget for 2026–27 after a business manager presentation that outlined revenue projections, a higher IU contract cost, and insurance renewal impacts; a public commenter urged the board to consider trailer courts when citing median assessments.
The Montoursville Area School Board voted to approve the district’s general fund budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year during its June 9 meeting after a detailed presentation from the business manager.
The business manager told the board that projected revenues for the year were $36,997,663 and described expenditures and adjustments included in the final draft. Key changes reported were a $224,396 increase tied to the intermediate unit (IU) contract, a workers’ compensation reduction tied to a lower experience modifier, and higher insurance costs including a 22% increase in auto insurance, a 3% rise in property insurance and a roughly 30% increase in general liability/crime coverage driven by broader guard coverage.
The manager said the IU contract came in higher than earlier estimates (reported as moving from an initial projection of about $1.55 million to $1.75 million). The presentation also showed how capital/bond payments were reflected in the budget and the effect on the district’s fund balance. The manager summarized that, with the figures presented, the district’s projected revenues and expenditures produced an adjusted fund-balance outlook through June 30, 2027.
During public comment before the vote, a resident cautioned board members to consider the district’s housing mix when citing median assessment figures, arguing that trailer courts lower the median and make small stated tax increases more burdensome for some households. In the meeting the resident asked, “When’s the last time you saw a trailer that was worth 120,000?” and urged the board to remember that context when voting on the final budget.
Board members asked the business manager clarifying questions, including why crime/general-liability coverage rose roughly 30%. The manager explained the increase reflected expanding the number of covered guards (from eight to 13 in the manager’s calculation) to include part-time guards and the school resource officer under the district’s coverage to reduce potential gaps in a major incident.
The board took the motion to approve the general fund budget as presented; the motion carried. The meeting record shows multiple consent and finance items were approved during the session, including routine invoice payments and personnel additions.
The district will move forward with the adopted budget and the items reflected in the June 9 presentation; board members and staff described several related operational tasks (insurance renewals, vehicle disposals and property appraisals) that remain part of the implementation work the administration will complete before the new fiscal year begins.
