CLAYSBURG — In a 5-2 vote, members of the Claysburg-Kimmel School Board approved the general fund budget for the 2026-27 school year, but did not have enough votes to adopt a tax increase.

During a roll call vote, four members, including President Jeremy Knott, Mandi Daugherty, Roger Knisely and Tony Soler voted to raise taxes to the Act 1 Index of 5.1% to offset their $744,000 deficit.

However, Vice President Amy Claar-Gill and board members Heidi Kennedy and Danny Potter rejected the adoption, leaving the board with a 4-3 vote. The board was required to have five or more votes to pass the motion.

After the tax adoption vote, Knott asked the board members how they wished to proceed with a tax increase discussion, as the district is required by the state to approve its final budget by June 30.

The board agreed to meet on a to-be-announced day next week to discuss a tax increase.

Board members Mona Eckley and Joseph Musselman were absent at Wednesday’s meeting, while Claar-Gill and Kennedy were present via Zoom.

Kennedy was the only board member who voted for the budget but against the tax increase.

In the last voting session on May 13, the board voted 7-2 to increase taxes to the Act 1 Index. Kennedy had voted in favor of a tax increase in that meeting, but voted in opposition Tuesday, creating the deadlock.

“We were all in favor in our preliminary budget to do so, it was approved, so we’ve got to figure out what changed between then and now to give some direction so that we can get this thing approved,” Knott said.

While the 2026-27 general fund balance was passed, Knott said after the meeting that the board doesn’t have to retroactively approve it if the board approves a lower tax increase.

If the board approves a lower tax increase, then they will take funds from the fund balance to make up the net difference, he said.

Personnel moves

In other news, the board unanimously agreed to move high school Principal Chuck Kassick to assistant secondary principal and move Assistant Secondary Principal Matthew Hall to secondary principal.

According to past Mirror reports, Hall was sentenced to three days to six months in the Blair County Prison, followed by four years of probation after pleading guilty Feb. 2, 2023, to DUI and reckless endangerment charges linked to a vehicle crash that injured two people.

He apologized in county court for his actions on Feb. 8, 2022.

After his 2023 sentencing, defense attorney Thomas M. Hooper said Hall had reached nearly a year of sobriety, the report states.

Knott said Hall is currently doing a great job at the district after Wednesday’s meeting.

“With all those moves, the administrative team looked at strengths, weaknesses, what works out best for the district,” he said. “And we really think all those things are going to be most beneficial to the district.”

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.