ALLENTOWN, Pa. – The Allentown School Board on Thursday approved a preliminary budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year that includes a proposed 2.9% property tax increase.
The proposed $514.7 million budget shows an increase of 6.4% from the current year’s $481.5 million spending plan.
District officials project that revenues will rise by the same percentage, with state funding accounting for about 70% of total revenue, local sources for 25%, and federal funding for 5%.
The proposal would raise the district’s real estate tax rate from 22.6432 mills to 23.3 mills, an increase of 0.657 mills.
District projections show the increase would raise the average residential school tax bill by about $71 annually, from $2,444 to $2,515.
According to budget documents, the largest spending increases are in tuition and purchased services, which would rise 11.7% to $130.8 million, and debt service and capital financing, which would increase 15.2% to $30.5 million. Salaries would increase 4.3% to $164.3 million.
The district is expected to consider final adoption of the budget at its June 18 meeting.
In other news, the board approved several personnel moves on Thursday.
Jack Trent was named Chief Financial Officer for the district at an annual salary of $200,000. According to officials, Trent serves as the CFO for Easton Area School District.
Additionally, Alicia Knauff was named principal at William Allen High School after previously serving as acting principal. Tara Walter was named principal at Jackson Early Childhood Center after also serving as acting principal.
The personnel report was approved in an 8-1 vote, with Board member Denzel Morris casting the lone no vote.
In other news, Allentown School District’s Superintendent Carol Birks addressed the recent death of a 17-year-old Dieruff High School student, Ameer Simmons of Allentown. Simmons died after jumping from a railroad trestle into the Jordan Creek in Allentown this week.
“Please join us in prayers, thoughts and encouragement to our team at Dieruff as well as to the family who suffered a great loss. It’s very hard to lose our children,” said District Superintendent Carol Birks.
In a news release, Lehigh County Coroner Daniel Buglios said Allentown police, fire and paramedics rushed to the 300 block of Basin Street just after 11:30 a.m. Thursday. He was pronounced dead at the scene in the area of the 300 block of Basin Street at 2:21 p.m., Buglio said.
Friends of the victim say a group of teens was walking down a set of train tracks, and at least one of them jumped into about six feet of water in the Jordan Creek. But the victim did not come back up.
Birks also addressed the passing of long-time, retired board member Jeff Glazier.
“We’ve had two very difficult losses throughout our learning community in the past 24 hours,” Birks said and encouraged the community to exercise “more love, compassion and kindness towards each other.”