William Penn School District board adopts 2026–27 budget, approves 4.351% real estate tax increase

The William Penn School District Board of School Directors voted 5–3 on June 30 to adopt the district’s 2026–27 general fund budget and to levy a 4.351% real estate tax increase, raising the school tax to 34.29 mills per $1,000 of assessed valuation, the board announced.

Debbie Malowski, of the district financial team, presented the final proposed budget during the special meeting and said the increase is designed to reinstate positions eliminated during the current fiscal year, restore core K–12 allocations and cover contractual and new curriculum costs. "What we're looking to do is reinstate the positions that were eliminated in the current fiscal year," Malowski said during her presentation.

The presentation included a taxpayer example: under the new millage the owner of a $100,000 assessed-value home would see annual school taxes rise from $3,286 to $3,429, an increase of about $143 (roughly $11.92 per month). Malowski also explained that projected real estate revenue had fallen slightly since the previous presentation and that spreading certain curriculum costs over three years reduced the proposed rate to 4.351%.

Board member Miss Boykins urged support for the increase, saying it would stabilize staffing for an incoming superintendent and protect services for students and staff. "We want to ensure that our school district is somewhat stable for that next superintendent," Boykins said, and asked colleagues to back the 4.351% proposal. Boykins also said the district is still owed $28 million from a lawsuit; that claim was stated during debate and was not resolved at the meeting.

Board member Mr. Callahan announced he would vote no, saying taxpayers were already strained and criticizing the virtual format for such a fiscal decision. "I’m going to vote no," Callahan said, adding that the district should present and discuss budget choices in person and earlier than the deadline when possible.

Other board members and staff emphasized results they attribute to prior investments and warned that lower increases would require cutting staff and special-education supports; the president said the board had held multiple budget readings since February and staff provided comparative analyses for several rate scenarios.

After discussion, the board conducted a roll-call vote. The motion to adopt the budget passed, with five votes in favor and three opposed. The chair then moved to the homestead exclusion resolution required to implement the adopted tax option; the board adopted the homestead resolution, which applies homestead real estate tax assessment reductions under the Homestead Property Exclusion (Act 50 of 1998) and the Taxpayer Relief Act (Act 1 of 2006), as appropriate for eligible property owners.

A public commenter, Aia Lewis, had told the board she was disappointed that the state had not passed a state budget earlier in the day and urged continued advocacy. The meeting concluded with the chair thanking staff and directors.

The board did not provide a precise, clearly readable figure for the budget total in the transcript; the record includes a number that appears truncated or unclear. The adopted tax rate and the homestead resolution were recorded at the meeting.

What happens next: The adopted budget takes effect for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and the homestead exclusions will be applied to eligible properties in accordance with state law and the chosen tax option.