Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
With nearly one-fourth of Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget set aside for education funding, the Bristol Township School District hopes its students will benefit.
The proposed influx of state funding, which has dwindled along with federal funds in recent years, would help the district, officials have told LevittownNow.com. Bristol Township school officials have partly blamed funding cuts as a reason for the 2013 budget crisis. The increase in mandatory pension contributions is a big issue as the school system begins to work on next year’s budget.
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Superintendent Dr. Sam Lee said this week he hopes the district will see funding increases as part of next year’s state budget, which still has to be approved in Harrisburg. The budget vote has to come by June 30.
If Corbett’s proposed budget is approved as is, the Bristol Township School District could see an increase of $875,000 to an already existing accountability block grant of $467,000, according to Lee. The formula to fund the grant weighs enrollment, the poverty rate, and the number of English language learners in the district.
Lee said the district’s basic education subsidy may increase by $50,000 and special education funding by $20,000. However, Lee added thee increases are “relatively small as these are $20 million and $4.6 million items.”
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The budget process goes through several cycles and making any predictions is futile.
“Much can happen between now and June,” Lee told LevittownNow.com. “We will continue to monitor the Commonwealth budget development process, in particular the pension situation.”
