Tredyffrin‑Easttown School District board President Kantorsik on Jan. 2 opened a priority discussion and the board voted to authorize the administration to display the 2025‑26 preliminary budget for public inspection, publish notice of intent to adopt a preliminary budget and to pursue Act 1 referendum exceptions with the Pennsylvania Department of Education, with filing to occur by Feb. 27, 2025. The motion passed on a roll call vote, 8‑0.

The move begins the district's formal budget timeline ahead of a Jan. 27, 2025 vote on a preliminary budget and follows a business manager presentation that showed a multi‑million dollar gap between anticipated revenues and expenditures. "We're gonna be looking at summary information this evening, not detail," Business Manager Art McDonnell told the board as he outlined the timeline for public notice, display and subsequent budget workshops.

Why it matters: the district presented a projected operating deficit that varies depending on whether tax revenue is increased up to the Act 1 index and whether referendum exceptions are approved. McDonnell said the district's unadjusted deficit on the worksheet was roughly $12.6 million; applying the Act 1 index of 4% reduced that deficit to about $6.7 million, and adding two estimated new revenue items brought the shortfall to about $5.8 million. The board authorized the administration to display the preliminary budget not later than Jan. 7, publish notice by Jan. 17 and, unless the board later votes to remain at or below the index, to file for exceptions by Feb. 27, 2025.

McDonnell also summarized other budget drivers the board will examine in detail at upcoming finance meetings and workshops: a general fund beginning balance of about $33.8 million; a planned capital transfer (currently $6 million, with a goal of increasing that to $9 million); a projected $1.1 million increase in special education expenditures; projected professional staffing additions totaling about $2.1 million tied to STEM, middle school schedule changes, student supports and program enrollment; and health‑care projections (medical and dental increases of about 8%). McDonnell said a recently released lower‑than‑expected employer contribution rate for PSERS will reduce expenses by approximately $275,000, a change he said would be incorporated in later budget drafts.

Board member Dr. Radinsky spoke in favor of filing for exceptions, saying, "I'm in support of filing for the exceptions because we're early in the process here and as Mr. McDonnell showed, we still have a significant gap and we want to keep making our capital contributions." President Kantorsik reminded the public that the budget process continues through June and invited residents to attend finance committee meetings and two budget workshops planned for March and April.

Next steps: the district will display the preliminary budget for public inspection, publish required notice and return to the board for a vote on the preliminary budget at the Jan. 27 meeting. If the board instead adopts a resolution to stay at or below the Act 1 index (4%), it would not file exceptions and would move to a proposed final budget in April and a final budget in June. The board set deadlines and workshop dates: public notice Jan. 17, Jan. 27 preliminary budget vote, budget workshops in March and April, proposed final budget April 28 and final budget June 9.

Votes at a glance: the motion to authorize display of the 2025‑26 preliminary budget and to permit filing for Act 1 exceptions passed by roll call, Yes: Weil, Audrain, Hong, Allen, Piccione, Hatinski, Vice President Tete, President Kantorsik; No: none; Abstain/Absent: none. Motion outcome: approved (8‑0).