HOLLIDAYSBURG — With a mounting deficit and several major maintenance projects on the horizon, the Hollidaysburg Area School Board voted 5-2 to adopt the 2025-26 final budget that includes a full 4.9% tax hike to the Act 1 limit.

Board members Ying Li and Ronald Sommer were the two dissenting votes, while members Kenneth Snyder and Scott Brenneman were absent.

According to data provided by business manager Autumn Fiscus, the budget projects $56,739,282 to cover $60,534,982 in anticipated expenses, leaving a $3,795,700 deficit.

The tax increase, which will raise $1,158,878 in revenue for the district from an added contribution of $73.71 per household based on an assessed property value of $150,000, has been a regular topic of discussion for the board throughout the budget process.

Prior to the adoption motion, Li explained her reasoning for voting against the final budget, saying that based on the previous two years of district budget data, she projected that the actual deficit will decrease, rendering the full Act 1 increase unnecessary.

Li said she prefers a half Act 1 — or 2.45% — increase, saying that it was “not reasonable” to expect district taxpayers to foot the bill for the full increase that would only go toward rebuilding the fund balance.

Sommer, while in favor of the full increase, said he voted in opposition to the budget as a whole because of the proposal within the budget to take out a bond issue to fund some projects within the district. Sommer said he couldn’t see the district adding more debt with the deficit at the level it already is.

“I think we need to get everything in order before taking on more debt,” Sommer said.

Member John Wells and Sommer both voiced support for the full increase, saying that the additional revenue would go toward necessary projects around the district and would in fact save taxpayers money in the long run by avoiding interest payments on a bond issue that would seek to address the same budgetary shortfall.

“Sometimes fiscal responsibility means meeting our obligations,” Wells said.

The district business office presented a number of budget scenarios to the board that accommodated a range of tax increases and debt service to cover a number of upkeep projects, such as the Junior High boiler replacement and Senior High roof repair, in meetings over the past two months.

Ultimately, the board approved the sixth option presented that included the full Act 1 hike and debt service to include the widest range of repair projects available within the district’s current financial means.

Superintendent Curtis Whitesel commended the board for doing their due diligence through the budget process and in making a “sacrifice” in supporting the tax increase which would go toward improving the district as a whole.

Member Michelle Luther said that, while the board is hesitant to approve any tax increase, it has an obligation to provide the best possible service to its students, requiring the additional funding.

Later in the meeting, the board unanimously approved a list of submitted personnel changes that included the resignation of long-time Senior High Principal Maureen Letcher, who was recently named as the new superintendent for Glendale School District to take over for outgoing administrator Sean Gildea. (See related story)

Mirror Staff Writer Conner Goetz is at 814-946-7535.