Bristol Twp. School Board Approves $179 Million Budget With 4.6% Tax Hike

Bristol Township School District taxpayers are seeing a 4.6 percent property tax increase for the 2026-2027 fiscal year under the recently-approved spending plan.

The school board voted at its June meeting to pass a $179,059,819 budget that raises the real estate millage rate from 226.742 to 237.1744.

For the average property owner, the tax hike translates to an additional $196.09 annually, or $16.34 per month, officials said.

Despite the tax increase, the approved budget is a $2 million reduction from the previous fiscal year’s spending plan.

School Board President James Morgan said he knows the difficulty of the vote, adding that members are also local taxpayers.

“It’s a tough decision made by the board. And we all pay these taxes too. It comes out of our wallets. And we’re all working hard,” Morgan said.

Morgan explained that the tax hike was necessary to preserve uninterrupted services and maintain the district’s workforce.

“Everybody knows Bristol Township is the biggest employer in the township of local residents. Everybody knows somebody that works around here,” Morgan said. “We did what we had to do to keep everybody employed. No services will be interrupted. And we’ll keep moving forward.”

The district, which serves about 6,000 students, will eliminate 26 positions to balance the budget. However, school officials previously stated the reductions will be achieved entirely through retirements and attrition, resulting in zero layoffs.

The eliminated positions include 11 certified staff members, eight support staff roles, one administrative vacancy, and six unfilled part-time lunch and playground monitor positions.

The district will increase secondary class sizes due to the teacher attrition and will pause all new vehicle purchases for the 2026-2027 school year to cut spending.

Amber Kitchenman, the district’s business manager and CFO, stated in May that the administration’s main goal was to handle mounting financial pressures while keeping educational programs intact.

Rising healthcare, fuel, and energy costs have driven up the district’s projected expenses for the school year.

Salaries and benefits make up the largest portion of the spending plan, accounting for 70 percent of the total budget. Other major expenses include special education services and tuition for cyber schools, charter schools, and the Bucks County Technical High School.

The district expects some financial relief due to decreased debt service after a recent debt restructuring.

Superintendent Michael Nitti said last month that the district’s “mission was to develop a budget that effectively navigates these challenges and continues to provide valued programs and opportunities for our students.”