Budget

ALLENTOWN, PA –The Parkland Board of School Directors has approved the 2025-26 Final General Fund Budget amounting to $248,755,101 after careful consideration of the district's growing needs and long-term financial outlook.  The approval was made during the regularly scheduled Board meeting on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. The 2025-2026 Final General Fund Budget represents a 5.1% increase of 2024-25 expenditures. In order to minimize the tax rate for the Parkland taxpayers, the Final Budget includes the appropriation of $5,507,303 of Fund Balance, to balance the 2025-2026 General Fund Budget. There have been no changes to the Proposed Budget which was shared during the May 13, 2025, School Board Meeting.

The Budget represents a total mill rate of 17.80 or a 4% millage increase and is a balanced budget. 

Focus Areas of the 2025-26 Final Budget:

Safety (Physical, Mental and Behavioral Health Needs) – The 2025-26 budget prioritizes student safety and operational efficiency. It includes the addition of a School Resource Officer in North Whitehall Township, new buses and bus cameras, a visitor management system upgrade, and the implementation of a Central Registration Department. The 2025-26 safety budget has been significantly enhanced by a $286,767 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).

Students and Educational Programs –Parkland is investing in research-based methods to improve learning and managing costs by analyzing and streamlining resource use. Notably, due to the significant investment in a new elementary English Language Arts curriculum, funding for separate intervention materials has been streamlined.  Middle and High School World Language resources are also being updated. The Technology Budget is $1,759,132, a reduction from the previous year, primarily due to deferring Chromebook replacements, resulting in savings. The budget continues to prioritize retaining and recruiting exceptional teachers and support staff.

Growth and Future Planning – Vision 2030 is a project that seeks to address swelling enrollment in grades 6-12 across the District.  Capital improvement projects remain a critical part of the District’s ability to protect and maintain facilities as well as our ability to break ground on the Parkland High School addition in the spring of 2026 which will alleviate the congestion at the school.  Soon after, the District will look to relocate the bus parking lots and renovate and/or add more building space to Orefield Middle School.

Debt Service - As we evaluate the projected growth and capital needs of the District, our debt management plan will be critical in accomplishing our goals to address growth of the District and maintaining our facilities. For the 2025-26 budget, the new General Obligation Bond Series 2024 requires $1.4M of new debt service in the budget line. As we move forward with additional capital projects, additional funds will need to be borrowed and the impact of the annual debt service will be built into the General Fund Operating Budget. The anticipated increases to debt service associated with the Vision 2030 plan are $11M over the next 6 years. The District has developed a financing plan which requires commitment of a millage increase equivalent to the increased debt service in each fiscal year, to build the necessary capacity into the General Operating Budget to accommodate the capital projects.

Fund Balance Appropriation – Careful planning will involve the use of approximately $5,507,303 of fund balance that will help ease the tax burden this year, but also help the District preserve its credit rating in an attempt to keep borrowing rates at the lowest possible rates as planning and implementation of Project Vision 2030 progresses. Parkland plans to use the full $4.1M in fund balance that was appropriated this past year.

Key Financial Points

• Parkland real estate value is increasing by about 1.4% since last summer, while the rate over the last six years averaged over 2%.  One mill of property tax is projected to produce $9,216,613.

• The average residential assessed value is $245,193. The average residential taxpayer will pay an extra $13.99 per month next year at the new mill rate of 17.80.
• Residential Taxpayers represent 62% of Parkland’s tax base with 22,903 residential properties. In total, there are 25,790 taxable properties.  
• The allowable Act 1 Index is 4%.  Parkland’s Final Budget includes a 4% increase.
• Parkland has not raised taxes to the allowable Index in the last 9 years. 
• Last year’s millage rate was 17.12. 

School Board President Robert M. Cohen stated, "We must continue discussing the budget due to growing enrollment and capital needs. Our shortfall is driven by staffing, mandates, growth, and projects. Expenses are rising faster than revenue, which will be a key focus for us to stay on top of as we plan for the future.”

Superintendent Dr. Mark Madson noted, “This budget proactively and responsibly plans for our future needs, ensuring we maintain a high-quality education and facilities that foster continued student success, while investing in long-term solutions to manage growth.  We recognize the community's support and have carefully reviewed this plan, taking into account what we need to accomplish in the years to come coupled with our taxpayer’s ability to pay for it as the district continues to grow."

View our 2025-26 School Budget Newsletter here.  Pages 6-7 outline the full budget and revenue and expenditures sources.