ADAMS TWP — For Mars Area School District residents, this will be the first time in three years real estate taxes levied by the district don’t go up.

The school board finalized the district’s nearly $70 million 2026-27 budget at its Tuesday, June 9, meeting.

Additionally, the district’s millage rate will stay put at 110 mills for 2026-27. A mill is equal to a $1 tax increase for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.

The district expects to pull in roughly $48.5 million from local revenue in 2026-27, with the rest mostly coming from state funds.

The millage rate was unanimously passed alongside a general fund budget of $69.79 million. This is an increase of more than $4 million in spending from the current school year.

The district’s business manager, Debbie Brandstetter, previously told the Butler Eagle the millage increase in past years was primarily due to increases in staffing, something that is not affecting the district this time around. She also said at the time the upcoming budget projects increased funding from the state, largely due to an expected $2.8 million in Ready to Learn grants.

According to the district’s budget overview, the general fund would allocate roughly $28.33 million toward employee salaries and just over $20 million toward employee benefits. The district is also putting just over $7 million toward debt service.

A deficit of just over $900,000 will be covered by pulling from the existing fund balance of around $11 million.

Other taxes residents will have to pay to the district this upcoming school year include a .5% earned income tax and a .5% real estate transfer tax, which also remain unchanged.

The district will also impose a maximum real estate tax reduction amount of $107.80 for homesteads and $148.17 for farmsteads.

The district’s negotiating team will also meet with Mars Area Education Association members on Thursday for collective bargaining negotiations.