For the 25th straight year, Huntingdon Special School District will not raise property taxes, and it’s still finding room in its $15.75 million budget for staff raises, free meals for every student, and free admission to home athletic games.
The Huntingdon Special School District Board of Education approved the $15,754,075 balanced budget for 2026-2027 at its meeting Wednesday night, July 22.
It reflects an increase of $490,930 over last year.
The board also pushed through 37 policy updates driven largely by new state laws passed this spring.
No Tax Increase, Again
Director of Schools Dr. Jonathan Kee told the board the district’s tax rate will hold at 70 cents per $100 of assessed property, the lowest in Carroll County.
Board Chair Dr. Lee Carter credited district leadership for the 25-year streak.
“It’s amazing how well all of our leadership have been able to do with the budget,” Carter said. “We’ve continued to increase the amount of money we’re expending… and we’ve not had to rely upon a property tax increase. I just applaud our leadership as they put these budgets together.”
Kee said the budget’s biggest driver was staff compensation — a $2,500 increase to the certified salary schedule and a 3% raise for non-certified staff. The district will also again offer free breakfast and lunch to all students through the Community Eligibility Provision, along with free admission to home athletic events.
Despite the good news, Kee cautioned that next year holds more uncertainty.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty right now that we will continue to watch very carefully, with virtual statewide schools, Carroll County School’s funding, pre-K funding and federal allocations…” he said. “As well as a new governor coming in. We’ll see how that looks.”
Audit Contract Renewed
The board approved a $29,750 contract with Alexander Thompson Arnold to audit the district’s 2025-26 finances, a $3,000 increase from last year. “I have secured this out, talked to some other auditors out there,” Kee said. “I would recommend that we stay with this company and this price.”
The board also approved 37 separate policy updates during the meeting, most stemming from new state legislation passed this spring. Those changes, including new rules on private-school athletes, teacher conduct, and student discipline, are covered in a separate article.
Updates
With registration underway for the new school year, Kee flagged online enrollment as an early headache for families.
“We’re going to try to get online registration completed 100%,” he said, noting an August 14 cutoff date for students to complete the process.
“It is kind of a liability for us if we don’t have some of that information,” he said.
Kee added that students without completed registration won’t be allowed back to school on August 14.
Kee told the board that the district is finalizing a shift in its school-based health clinic partnership, moving from Evans Clinic to Baptist Medical Group’s rural health clinic program.
A nurse will be stationed at the middle school Monday through Friday from 8 to 11 a.m., connecting students and staff to providers via telehealth.
“The benefit is it keeps kids in school,” Kee said. “It also cuts down on wait time for families having to make appointments.”
The district is rolling out a new mass-communication platform called Rooms, which will let teachers message families by class or grade level.
“We’re trying to streamline all of our ways of communicating,” Kee said, “so we’re using one method opposed to five or six different ones.”
The high school football turf is entering its tenth year, nearing the end of its warranty period.
“We get it maintenanced every summer,” Kee said. “It’s in great shape.”
The district has already sent sponsors who helped fund the turf their passes and reminders marking the ten-year commitment.
A new substitute teacher scheduling system will notify subs of open positions via robocall, letting them accept or decline electronically. The district held its first training session on the system Tuesday.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for August 19 at 5 p.m.