Mifflin County Board Drops Proposed School Cuts After Large Public Turnout

BY BRIAN CARSON

LEWISTOWN — The Mifflin County School Board voted Monday to drop a list of proposed budget cuts after a large public turnout forced the district to move its budget meeting to the Mifflin County Auditorium.

The proposed reductions included eliminating Outdoor School, expanding athletic ticket sales, charging a $100 pay-to-play fee, cutting building substitute positions, eliminating field trips, reducing elementary teaching positions, cutting principal positions and eliminating the principal position at the Academy. The options carried projected savings ranging from $39,518 to $169,560.

The board first voted unanimously to add the matter to the agenda, then voted unanimously to remove the cuts from consideration.

The decision came after residents, parents, students, and educators spoke against the proposed reductions, saying they would affect classroom instruction, student support, athletics, field trips, and class sizes.

District officials said the list had been prepared as possible savings options, not administrative recommendations. Treasurer Melinda Kenepp said the district began the budget process with a projected $5.4 million deficit, but that figure increased after officials were told to prepare for a 20% health insurance increase instead of the 10% originally projected.

The district is now facing a preliminary deficit of about $6.4 million. Kenepp said the district plans to use $1.3 million from an assigned technology balance and $125,000 for security expenses. The district is also hoping for an additional $2.5 million in state adequacy funding, which would reduce the deficit to about $2.5 million if received.

The district has received two installments of adequacy funding in recent state budgets, but Kenepp said the money is not guaranteed for 2026-27.

Salaries and benefits remain the largest part of the district’s budget, making up 64% of spending, Kenepp said.

Board members discussed three main options for dealing with the deficit: using the fund balance, raising revenue, or reducing expenses. District officials said the district has about $21 million in assigned fund balance, about $8 million in unassigned fund balance and about $8.9 million in a separate capital reserve fund for capital improvements.

The vote gives teachers, students, and families at least a temporary reprieve from the proposed classroom, principal, athletic, and field trip reductions. However, the district still faces a projected deficit and must decide whether to use savings, raise taxes, find other reductions, or use some combination of those options.
The possibility of a tax increase was discussed, but the board did not vote on one Monday. Kenepp said the district’s current millage is 34.52, and the Act 1 index for the coming year is 4.8%. A tax increase to the Act 1 limit would raise about $1.4 million and cost the average parcel about $61.61 per year, or about $5 per month.

Several speakers urged the board to raise taxes rather than cut teachers or programs. Others questioned possible pay-to-play fees and athletic ticket charges. One student said a $100 fee could hurt participation in lacrosse because players already have equipment costs.

One speaker told the board teachers should not be treated only as expenses and said larger class sizes could push more families toward charter schools. Another said the proposed cuts showed a lack of investment in educational opportunities and argued the district has not raised taxes enough over time to support staffing and programs.

Another resident said local taxes are local investments and urged the board to end what she called a long tax freeze. A separate speaker proposed using the new stadium complex as a regional entertainment venue to generate non-tax revenue through rentals, concessions, and events.

Board members also raised concerns about long-term planning. Cody Wian said the district could use fund balance to get through the coming year, but warned that salary increases and other rising costs could create larger problems in future budgets. Mark Baker said the district cannot operate forever without raising taxes, but said any cost savings should not hurt students.

The board is expected to consider the proposed final budget on Thursday.