North Penn committee backs raising district rebate match to 80% for 2025–26; resolution to appear on Feb. 20 action agenda
February 15, 2025 | North Penn SD, School Districts, Pennsylvania
This article was created by AI summarizing key points discussed. AI makes mistakes, so for full details and context, please refer to the video of the full meeting. Please report any errors so we can fix them. Report an error »
The North Penn School District Finance Committee voted Feb. 11 to send a resolution to the Feb. 20 action meeting proposing an 80% district match of the Pennsylvania Property Tax and Rent Rebate program for fiscal year 2025–26 and asked administration to begin outreach announcing the change.
Steve Skrocki, the district’s chief financial officer, reviewed the seven-year history of the local rebate program, noting the district began with a 25% match in 2018 and expanded over time to cover homeowners, renters and hybrid properties. He said the state program grew substantially for the 2024 cycle—household income eligibility increased and state rebate amounts rose—producing a record number of local applications this year and higher state payments to district residents.
Skrocki presented modeling scenarios. Using North Penn’s state payment data and participation assumptions, the administration showed that keeping a 40% projected participation rate at a 60% match produced a budget similar to the current year (about $301,200). The committee discussed alternative mixes of participation and match percentage and settled on a recommendation to use a 35% participation projection and an 80% match for the district’s proposed budget figures; the recommended draft budget estimate discussed at the meeting was about $351,400 under those assumptions.
Why it matters: Skrocki and board members emphasized that, while the rebate program represents a small share of the district’s overall budget (board members described it as roughly one-tenth of one percent), the payments provide meaningful relief to individual households. The district reported about 616 applications so far in the current year and estimated total applicants will exceed 700; roughly 78% of applicants are homeowners, 11% renters and 11% hybrid owners.
Committee action: A motion to place the 80%-match resolution on the Feb. 20 action meeting agenda was moved by Mr. Fusco and seconded by Mr. McBain; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and instructed administration to prepare the formal resolution and begin outreach. The committee also agreed to use a 35% participation assumption for budgeting purposes.
Ending: The committee directed administration to notify legislative partners and begin public communication about the proposed change; the proposal will be considered for formal adoption at the Feb. 20 action meeting.
Steve Skrocki, the district’s chief financial officer, reviewed the seven-year history of the local rebate program, noting the district began with a 25% match in 2018 and expanded over time to cover homeowners, renters and hybrid properties. He said the state program grew substantially for the 2024 cycle—household income eligibility increased and state rebate amounts rose—producing a record number of local applications this year and higher state payments to district residents.
Skrocki presented modeling scenarios. Using North Penn’s state payment data and participation assumptions, the administration showed that keeping a 40% projected participation rate at a 60% match produced a budget similar to the current year (about $301,200). The committee discussed alternative mixes of participation and match percentage and settled on a recommendation to use a 35% participation projection and an 80% match for the district’s proposed budget figures; the recommended draft budget estimate discussed at the meeting was about $351,400 under those assumptions.
Why it matters: Skrocki and board members emphasized that, while the rebate program represents a small share of the district’s overall budget (board members described it as roughly one-tenth of one percent), the payments provide meaningful relief to individual households. The district reported about 616 applications so far in the current year and estimated total applicants will exceed 700; roughly 78% of applicants are homeowners, 11% renters and 11% hybrid owners.
Committee action: A motion to place the 80%-match resolution on the Feb. 20 action meeting agenda was moved by Mr. Fusco and seconded by Mr. McBain; the committee approved the motion by voice vote and instructed administration to prepare the formal resolution and begin outreach. The committee also agreed to use a 35% participation assumption for budgeting purposes.
Ending: The committee directed administration to notify legislative partners and begin public communication about the proposed change; the proposal will be considered for formal adoption at the Feb. 20 action meeting.
View full meeting
This article is based on a recent meeting—watch the full video and explore the complete transcript for deeper insights into the discussion.
View full meeting