Pennsbury School District residents are welcome to attend and take part in open-forum style discussions regarding budget planning for the 2017-2018 school year.
At each of the two meetings, an update on the preliminary budget as it stands will be given to the public. Then, the public will be able to share ideas and comments about finance for the next school year.
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The first meeting will take place on Thursday, March 16 at Oxford Valley Elementary school at 430 Trenton Road in Fairless Hills. The second meeting will take place on April 18 at Quarry Hill Elementary school 1625 Quarry Road in Yardley. Both meetings will go from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m.
A preliminary budget report was given at a February 2 meeting and the preliminary $203,236,714 budget was approved at a February 9 meeting. The preliminary budget lists revenues for the district as coming from local sources such as property taxes, state and federal dollars. The vast majority of these funds, 76.2 percent, come from local sources.
According to the preliminary report, the budget would be running at a $5,891,235 deficit. The board and administration will be working through the next budget planning stages to reduce the deficit.
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Meanwhile, salaries make up the biggest chunk of expenditures, at 52.6 percent.
The preliminary budget offered suggestions for funding the deficit, including reducing the salary budget for retirees, reviewing staff on a district wide scale, a decrease in the utility budget and a full evaluation of budgets on a district wide scale.
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Following the budget hearings, a proposed budget will be voted on in May and the final budget will be passed by June 30.
