ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Parkland Board of School Directors has approved plans for the 2026-2027 General Fund Budget, amounting to $261,667,936.

The approval was made during the regularly scheduled Board meeting on Tuesday.

The 2026-2027 General Fund Budget represents a 5.2% increase over 2025-2026 expenditures, according to the news release.

To fund essential programs while minimizing the tax burden on the Parkland community, the District will utilize $9.7 million of its Fund Balance to balance the budget, officials said.

The Final Budget includes a total mill rate of 18.42, which represents a 3.50% millage increase (the maximum Act 1 index), according to the district. For the average residential taxpayer, this equates to an increase of $145.43 for the year.

Focus Areas of the 2026-2027 Final Budget:

Students and Educational Programs – Built on a foundation of student-centered growth, the budget prioritizes direct instructional impact, according to the news release. It finalizes a multi-year elementary literacy initiative, updates AP Social Studies and Business frameworks, and modernizes secondary curriculum, officials said. To offset costs, the district has reduced and eliminated less effective expenditures, including a $105,000 savings in supplemental educational technology apps, according to the district. In order to preserve core student programming, the district is implementing operational reductions, which include eliminating the late activity bus, scaling back out-of-district conferences, consolidating some technology applications and evaluating all staff retirements for non-replacement.

Safety (Physical, Mental, and Behavioral Health Needs) – The budget maintains our commitment to student safety by continuing our school bus fleet replacement plan to meet industry standards and the maintenance of our School Resource Officers across the school district, officials said.

Growth, Future Planning, and Debt Service – Parkland continues to expand, with enrollment now surpassing 10,000 students. To address this growth, the District recently broke ground on a Parkland High School addition featuring 46 new classroom and lab spaces, according to officials. While the borrowed proceeds for this construction are held within a restricted Capital Projects Fund, the responsibility for repayment lies within the General Operating Fund. Consequently, the annual debt service is a dedicated line item in the general budget, requiring $1.2 million in new debt service payments this year.

Long-Term Budget Planning & Fund Balance – The District is entering a multi-year fiscal transition. Construction fund borrowing, alongside compounding mandated costs in staffing, healthcare, special education, and specialized transportation, have created a structural deficit. To maintain stability in the District, the Board and Administration have developed a comprehensive 5-year, $20 million reduction plan to engineer a path to long-term financial stability, according to the district.