As of today, October 22, Pennsylvania is more than 110 days without a state budget, and the impact on public schools is becoming increasingly serious. Just as school districts are required by law to adopt a balanced budget each year by July 1, so too must the state. Yet the delay continues, with little progress reported, creating growing uncertainty for schools across the Commonwealth — including ours.
There is a common misconception that public schools are sitting on significant cash reserves. In reality, districts like ours plan carefully and save responsibly for specific needs such as building repairs, debt payments, device replacement cycles and by law, we are limited in how much we can keep in our unassigned general fund — which functions much like a household checking account — and those reserves were never meant to replace months of missing state payments.
The Bradford Area School District relies heavily on state funding to operate, with roughly 67% of our total revenue coming from the state. Without state funds, we are forced to make difficult financial decisions to keep our schools operating, with as little impact on our students as possible. We have managed to use local property tax revenue and carefully planned reserves, but those funds will only last so long. To ensure we can continue to meet payroll and pay necessary bills, we can open a line of credit — an expense that includes an additional cost of paying interest on this line of credit, a cost we can’t be sure will be reimbursed by the state. Hopefully, we won’t have to do this within the next couple of months.
Adding to the challenge, the budget impasse has also frozen federal funds that must flow through the state before reaching districts. These funds have already been approved for educational programs, and are included in our budget, but they are now being held up due to the lack of a state budget.
Across Pennsylvania, districts are doing their best to shield students from the effects of this delay. However, leaders must make difficult decisions that will affect students, such as freezing hiring, scaling back spending on necessary items, and preparing to borrow funds to cover these essential expenses. The truth is that the longer the impasse continues, the harder it becomes to protect classroom programs and student opportunities. In Bradford, we have not had to take any of these measures, but as the impasse continues, we unfortunately will be required to look at cost-saving measures.
There was some hope last week when the Pennsylvania House passed a version of the state budget. Unfortunately, the Senate did not take up the bill before recessing until October 20. We remain hopeful that progress will be made when they return, but each day without a budget adds to the strain on our public schools. With the election looming in November, we could assume the budget will not be passed until after the winning candidates are seated.
At this point, the best way for progress to happen is through collective advocacy. Pennsylvania needs an adopted budget, and our students and local taxpayers should not have to bear the cost of political gridlock. Please consider contacting state leaders and our local legislators to urge action. Reaching out to them and other state leaders helps ensure that your voice — and the voices of our students — are heard.
Despite the uncertainty, our commitment to students and families remains steadfast. Our staff, and administrators continue to focus on learning, safety, and student success each day. We are grateful for your understanding, patience, and continued support as we work through these challenges together.