[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6600407,"mediaKeyId","3065876-dd7df3d38c8e33e0a36fb5c79f5afd76","parentId",3065876,"title","Bensalem budget work session: administrators warn of multimillion‑dollar shortfall; staff request seven teaching positions","audioSeconds",6936,"startMs",291000,"endMs",7227000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3065876-dd7df3d38c8e33e0a36fb5c79f5afd76&start=291&end=7227","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3065876-dd7df3d38c8e33e0a36fb5c79f5afd76/thumbnail_291000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6600407/Pennsylvania/Bensalem-budget-work-session-administrators-warn-of-multimilliondollar-shortfall-staff-request-seven-teaching-positions","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6600407-3f5bf62bdb81cc88cac97648197150a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135230&Signature=WTYD8lB4aYYAgFxV4ph2JjSH~fccNbnWbdRZ75L90~abyKasnxkZpOyog8DEp0PkDA3PnFAVbUr6g9tyBiwzNydVYPiq-7S9TW1moNMknbgD1WqGrOmQNV4ieCYBEo9IBm9P81YfADZ86yBJGshVx2IxL7tuO2j46cPZdkmkeEXZgzUvhykKLGkunfvePJhxynr9WPbVvHjjZ4F0TWjXH4DxoJHpsx~AM9RikBec5iRhtFALq4cFByy2H21rJ3bv8nE8DtYtYMesmXJscljNdVY9--H-S~NEf-HNvTfjK8KBo2K7rclGzzSg9XmZ3q19aHM0iElB4o-xvlk6QSK6nw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Bensalem Township School District","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","Bensalem Township School District administrators presented a series of department budget briefings at a budget work session that followed the board’s business meeting. Presenters said the district faces a projected budget shortage of about $7.26 million without additional local revenue; applying the district’s full Act 1 tax index (4.8% as presented) would reduce the shortfall to roughly $2.4 million.

Superintendent and business‑office staff summarized revenue and expenditure assumptions used in the draft budget. The business office reported preliminary total expenditures of about $188.0 million after a set of late changes and estimated total revenues of about $180.4 million with no tax increase, producing the larger gap. With the Act 1 increase the staff showed, revenues would rise to roughly $185.0 million and the gap would narrow to roughly $2.4 million.

Key budget drivers and departmental highlights

Special services: Dr. (name in transcript: Dr.) Cohen, director of Special Services, said the district has roughly 1,550 students receiving special‑education services (a figure that has risen year over year) and that the federal IDEA allocation used in planning was $1,560,000. Cohen reiterated that special‑education costs can vary widely by student and that state and federal funding cover only a portion of total special‑education expenditures.

Teaching and learning: Director Donna Migg walked the board through a curriculum renewal cycle (chapter 4 of the Pennsylvania School Code) and said the Teaching & Learning proposed budget is $2,221,529, an increase driven by a new elementary math curriculum, professional development and inflationary cost increases.

Staffing requests: Administrators requested seven new teaching positions (the district estimated an average cost “just under $125,000 each” in the presentation), totaling roughly $873,862 in added payroll and related costs; staff also reported retirement/attrition savings that partially offset personnel increases. The board and staff noted that any staffing increases affect the charter‑tuition formula (staff cited a roughly 17% effect on charter charges for every dollar added to the general fund expenditures).

Instructional allocations: Presenters described per‑pupil allotments for building budgets: elementary per‑pupil allotment reported at $97, middle‑school allotment at $130 and high‑school allotment near $277 (presenters explained these figures cover classroom supplies and building‑level operational items, not salaries or central curricular purchases).

IT and devices: IT Director Nicholas Cammarano reported districtwide one‑to‑one devices for grades 1–12 and a four‑year Chromebook replacement cycle that is a large cost driver. He warned that newly announced tariffs (described in the presentation as a near‑term 25% tariff on some imports) could increase equipment costs beyond current estimates.

Transportation and facilities: The transportation presentation (presented by district staff in place of the absent transportation director) outlined an 85‑vehicle bus fleet (65 full‑size buses, seven midsize, three lift buses and 10 minibuses) plus 25 vans. Staff said they will recommend purchasing an additional two to four vans to meet expanding special‑education transportation needs rather than outsourcing runs to the intermediate unit. Facilities manager Kevin Curry described district building assets (approximately 1.3 million square feet across nine schools and roughly 300 acres of grounds), and noted rising costs for utilities, HVAC repairs and contracted services.

Athletics and activities: Director John Mullaney presented the athletics and activities budget. He said the department’s current budget is about $448,050 and proposed an increase of approximately $36,750 to cover uniforms, equipment, marching band costs and rental versus purchase decisions for timing equipment at track meets.

School food program and federal proposals: Food service supervisor Jenna Demargin briefed the board on Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), the federal policy that currently allows the district to offer free lunch to all students. Staff described a pending House budget proposal under discussion in Washington that would raise the eligibility threshold from 25% to 60%, require income verification of every free/reduced application, and curtail categorical eligibility tied to SNAP/TANF/Medicaid. District staff said those federal proposals were not enacted law at the time of the presentation, but if adopted they could reduce or change CEP eligibility, increase administrative workload and raise unpaid meal debt that cannot be covered by the food‑service enterprise fund.

Pensions and long‑term liabilities: Business‑office staff warned about growing employer contribution rates for the state retirement system; presentation slides showed current employer contribution rates above 33% with projected further increases under actuarial assumptions. Staff urged the board to consider long‑term plans to address pension‑driven cost growth.

Why it matters: Administrators presented multiple operating pressures that together widen the gap between projected revenue and expenditures: rising special‑education placements and costs, pension contribution volatility, device replacement cycles, and potential federal changes to school‑meal rules. The board will consider these items as it develops the preliminary budget and the May proposed property‑tax resolution.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Budget Work Session #2","oneSentenceSummary","Administrators told the Bensalem Township School District board that the draft 2025–26 general fund budget shows a multimillion‑dollar gap under current revenue assumptions and that several operational pressures — rising special‑education enrollment, pension contribution increases, device replacement cycles, and possible federal changes to school‑meal eligibility — could widen the gap.","taxTitle","Bensalem Township SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania","taxId",72586,"location","Pennsylvania","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6600415,"Bensalem board tables $4.66 million energy‑savings agreement, approves transfer of autistic‑support classes from IU",62,74000,136000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3065876-dd7df3d38c8e33e0a36fb5c79f5afd76&start=74&end=136","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3065876-dd7df3d38c8e33e0a36fb5c79f5afd76/thumbnail_74000.jpg","/articles/6600415/Pennsylvania/Bensalem-board-tables-466-million-energysavings-agreement-approves-transfer-of-autisticsupport-classes-from-IU","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6600415-7bc4f5119da98cfb3d463c4df3b4fee4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771135230&Signature=jTkH7aLeytlcrTYCg2mn0sAMNWCcvHYRhqNhOoBBFglIcMSa3zB5-eNhsqWmhfl8KbUdVgagxOyK6G4Oxek6toHRh1bEha5CQSovYnMJ~lvrIxb10YwN1Hn-tdSa21mVOJmiEOUeF64FK4WFEJCmxcu8FdvQZe0JCDXzRWdgxR~xYAa7rZpM1RIr0T-li5Qym~q3j4cOFx-fQ6eFZkYu3O7zF5Z7jUKst4P-Iy76StI4ApJlw-Ed088HZZtoiOBtMYiFf37DN6bcaCchEZxsaxdiPM9CAG~9mfzf~XGQXb~a2pHLUFRNDcOCPstwlLoUOXxb0rKfHGAF45P4L8Ngow__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Bensalem Township School District board on March 24 tabled consideration of a guaranteed energy‑savings agreement valued “not to exceed $4,658,671” and approved the district’s transfer of three autistic‑support classes from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit (IU) to the district effective for the 2025–26 school year.

The board first took up the guaranteed energy‑savings agreement and, after discussion about incomplete information, a board member moved to table the item. The board voted in favor of tabling the agreement; no final contract was approved at the meeting.

Later in the meeting the board voted to authorize the administration to notify the Bucks County Intermediate Unit of the district’s intent to assume responsibility for three programs currently provided by the IU: one autistic‑support class at Pennsbury/Bensalem High School (transcript identified the high‑school class location as “Pencil High School” in shorthand) and two autistic‑support classes at Valley Elementary School. The motion directed the administration to implement the change “consistent with the provisions of the Pennsylvania School Code” for the 2025–26 school year.

Board members cast audible “ayes” during roll calls for the transfer motion; no individual roll‑call names or dissenting votes were recorded in the public transcript. The meeting record shows the board met in executive session earlier that evening to discuss confidential personnel and litigation matters; those executive‑session topics were not acted on in open session.

Why it matters: Moving IU‑run autistic‑support classes into the district’s own programs changes how special education services are staffed and funded locally and may affect future special‑education budgets, transportation needs and in‑district staffing. Tabled vendor contracts can delay planned capital or facilities work tied to guaranteed‑savings projects.

What’s next: The guaranteed energy‑savings agreement may return to the board after staff provides the additional information referenced at the meeting. The administration will notify the Bucks County Intermediate Unit as directed and work to implement the three autistic‑support classrooms for the 2025–26 school year.

Notes: The transcript used for this report records the budget‑work session directly after the business meeting; the board announced the votes and adjournment in open session before the budget presentations began.","At a business meeting preceding a budget work session, the Bensalem Township School District board voted to table a proposed guaranteed energy‑savings agreement not to exceed $4,658,671 and approved transferring three autistic‑support classes from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit to district operation effective 2025–26.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Bensalem budget work session: administrators warn of multimillion‑dollar shortfall; staff request seven teaching positions

Bensalem board tables $4.66 million energy‑savings agreement, approves transfer of autistic‑support classes from IU