CRESSON — Penn Cambria School Board members adopted the district’s 2025-26 general fund budget Tuesday with a tax millage increase to the state’s Act 1 Index maximum of 5.7%.

The budget totals $30.7 million, according to the meeting’s agenda. It was approved unanimously by a 7-0 vote, with board members Jennifer Gmuca and Cindy Sheehan-Westrick not present at the meeting.

Business administrator Jill Francisco said projected revenues in the budget were listed at $29.8 million — leaving the district with an $874,222 deficit that she said will be paid from the district’s general fund balance of $7.66 million.

Francisco said Penn Cambria’s market values and assessed values are rebalanced through a complex calculation because it is a multicounty district.

With the tax increase, Cambria County’s tax millage rate is set at 68.60 mills, an increase of 3.7 mills over last year’s rate; and Blair County’s tax millage rate is set at 9.55 mills, an increase of 0.47 mills, Francisco said.

Francisco said the increase will add $42.31 to the average taxpayer’s bill in Cambria County, where the average residential assessment in the district is $11,434.

In Blair County, the average residential assessment in the district is $73,981, Francisco said, noting the tax increase will add $34.77 to the average tax bill in the district.

For eligible homeowners who qualify for the Homestead/Farmstead property tax exclusion, which increased $31.38 this year, taxes will only increase about $10.93 in Cambria County and $3.39 in Blair County, Francisco said.

The board also approved seven donations for its proposed stadium revitalization initiative.

In April, the district started seeking donations to help fund nearly $10 million in needed athletic facility upgrades because it’s currently in the midst of a $49 million renovation project and will be at its $55 million borrowing capacity as a result of a consolidation project to create a centralized campus in Cresson.

To date, the board has approved $330,100 in donations for athletic upgrades, Superintendent Jamie Hartline said, noting the district doesn’t currently have a timeline for any upgrades.

“We’re still in the process of sharing our plan to see what kind of support that we can get,” Hartline said. “We’re certainly happy and appreciative with the support that we have received so far.”

According to Hartline, once the district has the funding it needs, officials plan to speak with donors to determine what needs at the stadium should be taken care of first.