William Penn School District is currently facing a $9.5 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year. Superintendent Dr. Eric Becoats said that the majority of the shortfall came from unbudgeted increases in special education and charter school costs in the 2024-2025 year that have carried over to the next year’s budget. School Board Member Jennifer Hoff, who chairs the budget and finance committee, indicated at a budget meeting last week that the blame for the shortfall could be laid at the feet of the state for failing to make adequate payments, though interim chief financial officer Dave Szablowski said there are also serious problems within the business office. Szablowski said independent auditors contracted to perform an audit in January have already found several issues, including a failure to input information into the financial system and that bank statements have not been reconciled since July 2024. The audit also included several findings regarding the financial practices and procedures within the district, several of which involved the handling of invoices and processing of payments. Szablowski said the district’s current chart of accounts does not follow the Pennsylvania Accounting Manual, so it has been very difficult to analyze where expenditures are going.
Source: Daily Times; 2/26/2025