At its meeting on June 28, the Allentown Board of School Directors voted to approve the district’s final budget for the 2022-23 school year.
The Allentown School District put forth a balanced final budget that includes about $396 million in both revenues and expenses, along with a 5.3 percent increase in the local real estate tax millage rate. Due to an increase in property tax relief (homestead exclusion), the average taxpayer will see a $9 reduction.
This marks the second consecutive year the administration has been able to present a balanced budget to the Board and the community. While ASD has faced financial challenges in the past, district administration and the Board have done great work to get the district back on the right track.
The Board worked hard to limit the impact on local property taxpayers, the fact is that insufficient funding from the state has led to a greater reliance on our local community to support the education of Allentown students.
Over the past several months, the Board has worked to be as transparent as possible, make sound investments in our schools, and ensure our students have the opportunities they need to grow and thrive. The district continues to use COVID-19 relief funding to make investments in technology, address learning loss due to the pandemic and upgrade building HVAC systems. Additionally, the board approved new investments increasing the number of administrators who will focus on curriculum and instruction, school culture and climate, attendance, family engagement, more classroom teachers, special education staff, paraprofessionals and safety officers.
Historical links and information regarding the district and board’s budgeting process can be found below: