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The Kutztown Area School District approved a $38.1 million budget on June 23 after residents overwhelmingly voted down a referendum in May that would have hiked taxes more than 10% across the district.
Kutztown in May outlined its financial position, highlighting that major factors driving higher costs were increases in salaries and benefits, decreased property tax assessments, rising cyber charter tuition costs, reduced state funding, and nine years without a school tax increase.
School board members ultimately approved a 4% property tax increase, bringing the millage rate to 32.2428 mills.
Other districts that have recently approved budgets include:
Governor Mifflin School District approved a $90.2 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 on June 16, which carries a 5% increase in property taxes. The new rate will be 33.1200 mills.
Upper Perkiomen School District approved a $85 million budget, which carries a 3.5% property tax increase for district residents in Berks and Montgomery counties. The new rate is 28.8081 mills for residents of both counties, an increase of 0.97 mills from last year.
Boyertown Area School District approved a $150 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26 in May, which carries a 3% tax increase for district residents in both Berks and Montgomery counties. The new rate for both counties will be 32.6900 mills.
Brandywine Heights Area School District approved its budget, increasing property taxes 2%. The $37 million budget raises the millage rate to 36.9794 mills.
Conrad Weiser Area School District approved tax rate increases for both Berks and Lancaster counties in its $63.6 million budget for Fiscal Year 2025-26. Berks will see its millage rate increase to 35.8681 mills, a 3.1% increase, while Lancaster’s millage rate will increase 1.2% to 24.0254 mills.
The Antietam School District recently approved a $29.3 million budget carrying a 5.2% increase over last year’s budget. The new tax rate will be 51.3 mills, an increase of 2.54 mills from last year’s rate, which is the highest rate in Berks County.
Twin Valley School District board on June 16 approved a $77.6 million budget for the 2025-26 school year, which carries a 5.4% increase in the millage rate for Berks County residents at 30.0990 mills. Chester County residents, which the district is also located in, will see a 1.18% decrease for its school tax rate to 32.4943 mills.
Exeter School District approved a $89.3 million budget in May for the next school year, which increases taxes 3.25%. The new millage rate will be 37.0024.
Wilson School District approved a $154.8 million budget in May with a tax rate of 31.8 mills, a 3.79% increase from last year’s rate.
Muhlenberg School District approved a $92.2 million budget for next year, which raised the tax rate 4.77% to 38.406 mills.
Reading School District approved a $481.6 million budget for the 2025-26 school year with no increase in property taxes. The tax rate remains at 17.93 mills, which is the lowest in the county.