Harrisburg officials present $227.75 million proposed final budget and ask community to weigh a 3% tax increase

Harrisburg City School District budget officials on Tuesday walked board members through a proposed $227,749,738 budget for the 2026–27 school year that would include a 3% property-tax increase, equal to 0.942 mills, and an estimated $11.4 million rise in spending compared with the current year.

Dr. Marcia Stokes, who led the presentation, said the draft assumes receipt of 100% of the governor’s proposed basic education funding and special-education formula increases and includes a proposed adequacy supplement. She told the board the proposal relies heavily on state aid — “about 60–67% of our revenues” — and that, in the near term, local tax revenue would provide only a portion of the increase (about $600,000 of a $1.4 million local uptick under the 3% scenario).

Stokes detailed how the $227.75 million would be spent: regular instruction about $84 million (37%); special education roughly $37.4 million (16%); and debt service and transfers about $29 million (13%). Salaries and benefits were estimated to make up about 49% of the budget. The draft also includes an estimated $31.1 million payment to charter schools for tuition, a line item Stokes flagged as a major ongoing pressure.

Board members pressed administrators on the assumptions and long-term impact. Member Autumn Anderson and others asked for the line-item Excel file and for updated projections from PFM — the public-finance firm whose exit report previously recommended a 4.81% annual increase — so the board can compare different forecast assumptions and risk tolerances. Dr. Suske, the district’s recovery officer, urged the board to consider cumulative impacts and long-range solvency when weighing whether to rely on expected state supplements.

Administrators also connected the proposal to program expansions. Stokes said the package would fund additions to special education (18 paraprofessionals and nine autistic-support teachers), five new ELD teachers, expanded math-intervention staffing and extra van runs for student transportation tied to special-education placements.

The board did not adopt the final budget Tuesday. Administration requested approval to advertise the Proposed Final Budget and make the PDE-2028 state filing available for 30 days for public inspection; the item was scheduled to be placed on the board’s May 19 consent agenda for action and final adoption is planned for June 30.

Why it matters: The district says the proposal is intended to keep programs and staffing aligned with student needs while managing long-term risk. Board members signaled interest in both conservative and realistic scenarios — asking PFM to run updated projections using the district’s current draft so trustees can decide whether to adopt a higher or lower tax path.

What’s next: The Proposed Final Budget will be posted for public inspection and returned to the board for action later this spring. Administrators said they will provide the detailed Excel budgets and seek updated long-range projections from PFM before the next meeting.