The Pennsylvania state budget was due in June. As of late October, the budget still has not been passed.

In August, the Erie School District said that it would be financially okay for the first quarter of the fiscal year. Now that delays have lasted even longer, officials said the clock is ticking.

“If a state budget is not passed by the end of this calendar year, then we are going to be forced to borrow money. We need to be providing these services for our kids, and so I cannot stress the importance on actually having a budget that is passed. 70% of our revenue comes from state subsidy,” said Neil Brokman, Erie Schools assistant superintendent.

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The Erie School District is currently operating on the remaining 30% of its funding that it receives through other revenues. Brokman said that percentage-wise, they are maxed out on their current school budgets.

Brokman said, “The only reason that we can sustain anything through the end of this calendar year is because we’ve been conservatively, fiscally responsible over the last couple of years. And so we’ve been able to actually have a healthy fund balance, but that’s not the intent of a fund balance. It’s not to use those funds because the state won’t pass a budget.”

It’s been more than 100 days past the due date for Pennsylvania’s state budget, and going too long without a budget may mean that the school district will have to make difficult decisions.

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“As of right now we have not had to cut any kind of programming and we really haven’t had those conversations with the board of directors, but if the state doesn’t pass a budget then we’re going to have to go to the board of directors and start making recommendations of things that, potentially, we won’t be able to offer to our students,” Brokman said.

He mentioned that one important program right now is school-provided breakfast and lunch, and that with SNAP benefits in jeopardy, it’s imperative for the schools to at least be able to feed students throughout the school day.

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