JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley’s school board is expected to pass an almost $180 million budget for the 2025-26 academic year next week. However, it will have slightly less spending and slightly more revenue than the original proposal.

At the board’s Monday, June 2, work session meeting, it put the finalized proposal — $179,867,687 in spending — on the agenda to be voted on June 9. The finalized proposal has revenue set at $177,578,444.

The finalized budget narrows the deficit gap between expenditures and revenues from the proposal originally approved by the board. Previously, the board sent a budget proposal to public inspection in early May that saw operating expenditures set at $180.61 million and expected revenue for 2025-26 at $176.62 million.

Despite changes, the budget’s proposed operating expenditures is still an increase from $170.2 million in 2024-25.

“In summary, the operating expenditure budget has increased by $9,667,663 from the 2024-25 budget due to a variety of operational cost increases,” Dana Kirk, the district’s business manager, said in a budget summary to the board.

The millage rate remains unchanged from the May proposal, set at 143.85 mills. This is an increase of 5.53 mills from 2024-25, a 4% tax increase. According to Kirk, this equates to about $3.7 million in revenue beyond growth rate for the district. For a median assessed valued home within the Seneca Valley School District, this will equate to around a $144 increase.

In the district’s May proposal, it had planned to use $3.99 million from its existing fund balance to cover the gap in proposed expenditures and expected revenue. That amount, according to the new numbers, would now be $2.29 million.

In the finalized budget proposal, personnel costs like salaries and benefits represent 72.66% of operating expenses. Healthcare premium rates will increase by 18.82% for medical and 5.78% for dental, an expenditure increase schools around Butler County have had to deal with this budget season. According to Kirk, this represents an additional $2.172 million to the budget, and represents “approximately 3 mills in the tax rate alone with no other variables considered.”

“That 5.53-mill increase, over half of that is because of that unexpected increase, so that’s what we’re seeing there,” board President Eric DiTullio said in early May.

Student transportation service costs are anticipated to increase by approximately $1.4 million, something the district said would have happened regardless “based on current market pricing.”

Kirk also said in her summary state basic education and special education subsidies have been budgeted at slightly more than the previous anticipated amount due to uncertainty on when the state budget will be passed.

“Ready to Learn grant funding is anticipated to remain stable. While the governor’s budget proposal provides for an optimistic outlook for education funding, it is uncertain if the budget will be passed by the end of June,” Kirk said.