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The South Williamsport Area School district received a breakdown of funding awarded under the recently passed 2025-26 state budget during its second meeting of November, Monday night.
Allotting $7,326,447 towards basic education fund in its 2025-26 budget, the district received funds in the amount of $7,337,651 from the state, a net gain of $11,204. Though the state increased disbursements for special education by $26,255 over the 2024-25 budget, the district's budgeted amount of $1,094,152 leaves the district in the red by $875. However, it comes out ahead by $369,152 in terms of ready to learn accuracy, which was unchanged from the $597,183, district Business Manager Jamie Mowry reported.
The changes to the state budget amount to an increase of $379,481, according to Mowry's report.
Changes to the handling of cyber charter school tuition proved cost effective for the district, as well.
Though the Cyber Charter School Tuition Transition was removed in the state budget, it was replaced with a cost avoidance method, Mowery said.
"Under the old charter school tuition calculation, also called the PDE 363, our regular education tuition rate for 2025-26 would have been $13,600 and special education would have been $25,600," she explained.
"Under the new PDE 363, the regular education rate will now be $11,900 and the special education rate will be $22,500," Mowery explained, cautioning that because no calculations have officially been released by the state, these numbers are her interpretation of the data she has at the moment.
Current average daily memberships, or ADM, for the district's cyber school enrollees stand at 39.32 students in regular education and 19.88 in special education, Mowery said, explaining that the decimal points equate to the number of days enrolled in the program, out of the total 180 days of schooling available.
"We had some students that we did get returned from cyber school, but then we also had some students that left during the year to go to cyber school," she said.
"When we take those ADMs, multiplied by the old rules, our cyber school budget for 2025-26 would have been $1,045,000 which is $218,600 over our budgeted expense number. Under the new rules, it'll be $918,000 which is still $92,000 over budget, but we will realize the savings of $126,400," she said.
The overhead cost of the district's cyber school students, taken against the $379,481 increase in state funding, will put the district at a net positive of $287,266 for the 2025-26 school year, Mowery said.
It will now be up for the board to decide how to go about utilizing that additional money.
Following the budget presentation, the board turned its attention to voting items, including a three-year memorandum of understanding with Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, which includes a 75% reduction in in-state tuition rates for students taking early college courses and those dually enrolled.
The board then accepted the retirement of long-time 7th grade science teacher Michael Allison, effective June 5, 2026, and the resignation of Karrie Tillotson as a learning support teacher, effective Jan. 9, 2026.
"I would just like to recognize Mr. Allison and Miss Tillotson," district Superintendent Dr. Eric Briggs said.
"Mr. Allison will be completing his 38th year here at South Williamsport Area School District, so he's a mainstay fixture and he will be greatly missed," he continued.
"After speaking with him, after he turned his resignation in, he's looking forward to the next chapter of his life, so we appreciate the work he's done in the classroom and on the basketball court," Briggs said, also expressing well wishes for Tillotson.
"I'd just like to add that I spent 27 of my 30 years teaching with Mike Allison on the seventh grade team. We dealt with a lot of tears, lost kids, and the sixth to seventh grade transition, but we got it done." said board member and former English teacher John Hitesman.
The board then approved Rhandie Jessel as a certified substitute for the 2025-26 school year; and Kristin Bastian, Kim Bollinger, Eric Briggs, Kalyn Erb, Emma Harrington, Halle Sharp, Althea Street, Becky Swinehart, Jodi Woleslagle and Dwight Woodley as Bocce Ball volunteers; and Piper Minier as a Varsity Girls Basketball volunteer.
During board member comments, board member Cathy Bachman took the opportunity to remind the public that supplies are still needed for the district's Mounties Matters closet.
"All the administration have been very helpful. We have more people coming out to help us supply Christmas gifts, more food than we know what to do with for Thanksgiving, and we're getting it out to people," Bachman said.
"The community has just been overwhelming, and we have a whole cupboard filled with things, but the need is still huge," she stressed.
The next South Williamsport School Board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.