East Penn board preliminarily adopts proposed 2024–25 budget after debate over 5% tax increase

The East Penn School District Board of School Directors voted 8–1 April 22 to adopt the proposed final 2024–25 budget as a formality to keep the adoption process on schedule, after more than an hour of discussion about the proposed 5% tax increase.

Board members and community speakers disagreed over whether the increase is necessary. During public comment, resident Ted Duracki urged the board to accept the full Act 1 index — which he described as 6% before noting the proposal had been reduced to 5% — and warned the long-range capital plan could require costly high-school renovations or replacement he estimated at $200 million to $250 million. Administration officials said the proposed priorities account for roughly $2 million of the increase and that removing those priorities would lower the levy change to roughly 3.2%.

Why it matters: The vote moves the budget process forward but does not lock in a final tax rate. Administrators and board members repeatedly described the April 22 roll call as a procedural step: the district must adopt a proposed final budget to comply with the legal timetable, and the board will refine priorities before the final adoption seven weeks later.

Board discussion centered on needs versus wants. Several trustees said they support increased staffing for student supports but asked administration to ‘‘sharpen the pencil’’ to reduce the tax impact. Dr. Whitney requested a clear breakdown of what portion of the 5% is debt service and what portion represents new priority positions; administration responded that cutting about $2 million in priorities would drop the increase by roughly 1.8 percentage points. Board members who said they would vote yes at this preliminary stage still asked for additional detail and indicated they may seek lower final increases.

Vote and next steps: The motion to adopt the proposed final budget and the senior-citizen real-estate tax rebate program passed by roll call 8–1 (Mister Fileggi recorded as the lone no). Administrators said the budget could change before final adoption and committed to returning with more detailed breakdowns, including the composition of the 5% and information about senior rebate history.

The board said it expects further refinement before the final vote, currently scheduled within the statutory timetable, and staff agreed to provide requested analyses on the priorities, senior rebate impacts and the district’s long-range capital plan.