The Gettysburg Area School District’s 2026-27 budget forecast has improved since February, but directors and administrators agree that past practices need to be forgotten.
For several years, the board avoided tax increases except for 1% dedicated to a future Adams County Technical Institute building project.
“That’s what school boards do, they wait, and then they borrow instead of figuring it out ahead of time,” Board Member David Sites said. “You wouldn’t do that at your home, why do you do it here? It’s time to think things differently, start running it like a business.”
Sites is one of several board members who took office in December. Business Manager Belinda Wallen told the board she believes a 2.5-3.5% increase would improve the district’s financial situation.
“I don’t think we should be lower than 1% by any means,” Wallen said.
Veteran Board Member Tim Seigman agreed that the past board had erred by not increasing taxes incrementally. Seigman pointed out that many of the district’s costs are fixed, and the board has little control over much of its spending.
Since February, district administrators have examined positions that may go unfilled, factored in attritional savings from retirements, and recalculated tuition of outside student placements. The board did not identify which positions may be eliminated through attrition.
The board will continue to discuss the budget at its meetings, held on the first and third Monday of the month, before adoption in June.
Examining Costs
Later in the meeting, the board examined the five-year capital improvement plan. Board member Kathleen Pratt questioned the need for a proposed $50,000 grill and hood for the Warrior Stadium concession stand.
Seigman, who co-chaired the now-defunct Finance and Facilities Committee, said the item is a “want, not a need.”
Pratt also questioned the need to seal and stripe the Lincoln Elementary School parking lot for $46,675.
“We don’t want our parking lots looking like Pennsylvania state roads,” Seigman said.
Pratt agreed that maintaining the lots would save money in the long run.
However, she disagreed with the need for an LED message sign at the high school and Administration Building, which are estimated to cost $40,000 each. Seigman said the signs are intended to advertise public events.
The Capital Improvement Plan is a planning document. Any item listed in it would need to be publicly bid and voted on by the board.
ACTI
Seigman announced Dr. Anthony Payne will be the new director of Adams County Technical Institute, effective April 27. Payne will replace retiring director Sean Eckenrode.
Seigman said the school is continuing to research land options for its new facility.
The board will meet next on March 16 at 6:00 pm. The first hour of the meeting will be a review of the 2025 budget by Business Manager Belnda Wallen.
How much of the budget goes for debt service caused by prior bond issuance for capital projects financed by these long-term bonds? Before proposing solutions, the first step is to identify what is actually driving the $4 million gap in a business-like manner, as Dave Sites suggested.
The board must determine if the current deficit is an “operating deficit” or a “structural deficit.” An operating deficit is a one-year imbalance, but a structural deficit is caused by recurring expenses exceeding recurring revenue. The District’s current operating business practices should not be overlooked in determining the cause of this deficit.
Whatever the board does to balance the budget, it must minimize financial harm to retirees, low-income homeowners, students, teachers, and the district’s long-term viability. One thing that would help avoid the deficit problem is to require a full financial transparency review and freeze new capital borrowing, prioritize maintenance over expansion, and require an independent cost-benefit review before any new debt is assumed. This would prevent the financial “hole” from getting deeper. As a taxpayer, I fully support Dave Sites’ suggestion that the school district act in a businesslike manner. It would also help if the district would not continue to purchase everything it wants at the expense of many local taxpayers who cannot continue to bear the increase in their property taxes to fund those wants.
You forgot to tell the public that there would be a open to the public administrative session before the regular meeting to explain the lines of revenue and where it comes from by Wallen.
Yes, thanks for the reminder Patrick: The board will meet next on March 16 at 6:00 pm. The first hour of the meeting will be a review of the 2025 budget by Business Manager Belnda Wallen.