MIFFLINBURG — The Mifflinburg Area School District could be in for a portion of a $525 million increase in basic education funding passed in the new state budget.
However, Miffinburg Business Administrator Renee Jilinski said Thursday communications received indicate there’s no guarantee the entirety of those funds will be received.
“The projection is the basic education funding is an extra $719,008 estimated for the 2022-23 school year,” Jilinski said, of what the district could receive. “Special education funding is an extra $69,097.”
Generally, Jilinski explained special education funding can be counted on while basic education funding is more of an estimate.
“It could pan out to be that number. It could be less,” Jilinski said. “Through my experience, basic ed funding runs a year behind, that is why it is always an estimate.”
Jilinski noted that local school budgets consistently have deficits which are reconciled as the year goes on. The additional state money could help lessen a $2.1 million deficit.
“The control that the board, the superintendent and the rest of the administration has done over the years has been able to keep that deficit to where it is nonexistent at the end of the year,” Jilinski said. “A deficit is presented initially, but then you are able to control costs throughout the year to be able to control that.”
Earlier this year, school directors increased property taxes 4.5% for 2022-2023, the limit under Act 1.
Jilinski said the increase was a necessity to maintain what it currently offers in view of consistent deficits and unexpected expenses. Unless the basic education subsidy is increased, she said there may be no choice but to raise taxes.
Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Dady hopes the commonwealth will revisit how charter schools are funded. A change in the formula could influence the rate of increase of local taxes or if they need to increase at all.
Jilinski said the charter school funding question has been more of a challenge since the pandemic began.
“Everyone has a preference as to how they would like to educate their children” she said. “The formula and the calculations have not changed in decades.”
Dady said the formula in place allows charter schools to get more money if the district gets more. He noted that charter school enrollment could not be accurately estimated for a month or two.
“Some of the people that are either going to come back to the Mifflinburg School District or go to a cyber school that is not our own, a lot of that will happen at the beginning of the year,” Dady said.
Dady said the outlook for 2022-2023 is better than with no increase from the state or a reduction in basic education funding.
“It was nice to potentially get this large of an increase, (one) that we probably haven’t seen for quite some time,” Dady said. “But it still doesn’t negate the issue of whether or not schools are properly funded at the state level or how the funding formula works, especially concerning charter school funding.”
Staff writer Matt Farrand can be reached at 570-742-9671 and via email at matt@standard-journal.com.
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