The Wissahickon School District board voted April 28 to approve a draft budget for the 2025–26 school year and send it to the state for public posting and formal review.

Superintendent Jim told the board that rumors tying the district’s budget pressures to any single local program were incorrect. "I can unequivocally say it's completely false that, our funding issues and challenges have anything to do with a program we may or may not have in place," Jim said, adding the principal drivers are inflationary costs, transportation, health benefits and higher special‑education expenses.

Board members discussed the impact of state rules on local taxing authority. The administration noted the Act 1 index for 2025–26 is set at 4 percent, a statutory cap that figures into the district’s tax‑setting calculations. Administrators also emphasized the district’s plans to avoid layoffs: staff who occupy positions being changed will, according to the administration, be reassigned to other roles where possible.

On a program level, board members discussed planned adjustments to the K‑5 PACE (special education) classrooms: next year’s model will move from an automatic two‑aide configuration in every classroom to a model with one assigned aid per classroom plus a floater in each building. Administration said the change will provide supervisory and clerical support while limiting cost growth.

A motion to approve the draft budget was made, seconded and carried at the meeting; board members voted in favor and the motion passed. The board’s action allows the district to meet state posting and submission requirements and to continue budget planning ahead of adoption.