The Pennsbury School Board has approved a budget for the 2025-2026 school year that includes a 4 percent tax increase.
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The $263.7 million budget was approved last week and projects revenues of $262.5 million and expenditures of $263.7 million. The district will use $1.2 million from its fund balance to cover the deficit.
The tax increase will raise the millage rate to 20.4003 mills and will result in an average tax increase of $227.23 for homeowners in the district.
In his final budget presentation before departing for a new position, Chief Financial Officer Chris Berdnik outlined the main cost drivers in the budget.
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Special education expenses rose by $1.7 million to $12.1 million, a 16.2 percent increase.
Other areas with notable increases include a $2.1 million hike in the Bucks County Intermediate Unit carryover, a $690,000 increase in specialized transportation costs, and a $400,000 increase in charter school expenses.
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Natural gas and electricity costs also increased by $392,000, a 20.8 percent jump.
To address the budget gap, the district implemented several cost-saving measures, including a reduction of 10 professional staff positions and one administrative position. Berdnik noted that the district had 23 resignations and 23 retirements during the current school year.
“We had in 2024-25, 15 and a half temporary positions that included special education needs, English language development, elementary classrooms due to enrollment and extra course units for PHS elective areas,” Berdnik said. “We have now reduced the 15.3 positions to 6.5 positions.”
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The reduction in professional staff positions is expected to save the district approximately $1.25 million.
The district did add four full-time equivalent contracts for autistic support teachers and 2.5 temporary positions for high school course units to meet enrollment needs.
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Salaries and benefits, which make up 73 percent of Pennsbury’s budget, increased by $5.1 million, or 2.72 percent, to $193.4 million.
Superintendent Dr. Thomas Smith said the district continuously evaluates its programs and staffing.
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“We evaluate all of our existing programs and our staffing. We use district goals and assessment data, enrollment projections. We make adjustments and we will continue to make adjustments over the years,” said Smith.
The district serves 9,600 students and employs 944 teachers and 711 support staff.
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The budget approval comes as the district moves forward with a new high school project in Falls Township, which is expected to cost $269.5 million.
The district anticipates further tax increases in the coming years to support the multi-million-dollar project, which will replace the two aging high school buildings.
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