After reporting a multimillion dollar budget deficit earlier this year, the Bensalem School District plans to cut over two dozen staff positions in an effort to bridge the gap.
As detailed in the budget, the district’s expenditures were at $204 million while revenues in the previous year were $187 million, leading to a nearly $17 million dollar budget shortfall.
But, with proposed job cuts — and potentially gaining an influx of $4.5 million from a proposed 4.2% property tax increase — the district hopes to cut that deficit to about $7 million.
At a meeting held on Wednesday, the board voted to approve the layoffs.
Also during the meeting, the board said they are continuing to search for a new superintendent after the former superintendent Samuel Lee resigned in March.
During the meeting, in an issue that at least one employee of the Bensalem School District opposed, the board approved a $100 daily stipend for Acting Director of Human Resources and the Acting Assistant to the Superintendent for Teaching and Learning.
Dan Robson, who identified himself as an employee of the district, said he felt the stipends were being requested at an improper time.
“The audacity of two people to ask for a stipend increase because they are getting extra work put on them,” he told the board. “In a time were we are cutting money…that’s sickening to see that was requested.”
Still, board member Leann Hart said she supported the stipend raises, though she expressed regret that the vote happened at the same meeting the cuts were approved.
“I fully understand why people are upset and their feelings are valid,” she said.
In defense of her support for the increases, Hart claimed the stipends were necessary as both individuals “stepped up” into expanded roles and an increase in compensation could prevent turnover for the positions.
Over 30 people to be laid off
While the exact positions that would be eliminated were not discussed at Wednesday’s meeting, the Bucks County Courier Times found that 31 positions would be eliminated for the 2026-27 school year, “including nine administrative positions and over 20 elementary teachers, librarians, guidance counselors and special education teachers.”
When the item came up for a vote on Wednesday, Stephanie Gonzalez Ferrandez, the board’s vice president, blamed the need for cuts on previous board decisions.
“None of us want to be taking this vote tonight,” she said. “This is a mess we have been left to clean up.”
She said an independent audit found no indication of wrongdoing in regards to the district’s finances. Instead, Gonzalez Ferrandez said the district’s charter funding formula is “not reasonable” and the board faces special education costs “we can’t control.”
But, besides pointing to those issues, she blamed 10 years of prior boards failing to raise new funds to support the district.
“They used district savings to balance budgets,” she said.
She also said that voters should remember “who put us here” and “burned through our savings.”
“We have all cried about it. It’s terrible,” Gonzalez Ferrandez said.
In discussing the cuts, board member Rodger Allen said that the budget deficit will continue and likely emerge again next year, unless legislators step in.
“We have to fix the funding formula. This issue is going to continue to occur every single year. We are pushing our legislators, we are calling on them to help us with this issue,” he said. “Or else, we are going to be back here again next year and we are going to have this conversation once again.”
Even as a number of board members made comments expressing regret and apology, in the end, the board voted unanimously to make the job cuts.