Shapiro’s proposed budget brings more state money to Bensalem — but the district may have already overestimated what it will get

Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2026-27 state budget includes meaningful increases in education funding across Pennsylvania, and Bensalem Township School District would be among the districts in line for more money. But a review of state budget documents and the district’s own preliminary budget suggests the administration may have already over-counted that money before it arrives.

The state’s proposed Basic Education Funding allocation for Bensalem is $22,624,269 — confirmed directly from the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s formula spreadsheet. That is an increase of approximately $1.6 million over the prior year, or 7.6%, driven by the district’s high poverty rate, large English Language Learner population, and charter school enrollment. Under the formula, Bensalem is receiving more than the statewide average BEF increase of 0.61% precisely because of those student need factors.

There is also new money proposed in the Ready to Learn Block Grant, which bundles foundation funding with an “adequacy supplement” for districts the state has identified as underfunded. Statewide, the Ready to Learn appropriation would grow by 40.8% under Shapiro’s proposal — from $1.38 billion to $1.95 billion. PDE has already published a district-level spreadsheet showing proposed allocations, and Bensalem’s number is in it.

The proposed Ready to Learn allocation for Bensalem Township SD is $6,024,873 — comprising $4,181,181 in foundation funding and $1,843,692 in adequacy supplement. The adequacy piece exists because the state’s own formula data puts Bensalem’s adequacy gap at roughly $16.9 million. The district is getting about 10 cents on the dollar toward closing that gap.

The overestimate problem

Here is where the questions begin.

The preliminary budget the board voted on February 19 — prepared by district administrators — listed $22,870,027 for Basic Education Funding. The state’s proposed figure is $22,624,269. That is a gap of $245,758: the district overestimated its BEF by nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

The Ready to Learn discrepancy is larger. The preliminary budget listed $7,478,878 on the state accountability grants line. The state’s proposed Ready to Learn allocation for Bensalem is $6,024,873 — a difference of $1,454,005.

That is $1.7 million in state revenue the district appears to have built into its preliminary budget that may not be there.

It is possible that the district’s accounting methodology explains part of this. The 7501 line in the preliminary budget could reflect a prior-year payment scheduled to arrive during 2026-27 rather than the incoming-year allocation. The district’s business office should be asked directly to explain that number. But on its face, the documents raise a straightforward question: why does the district’s own preliminary budget show $1.45 million more in Ready to Learn funding than the state is proposing to send?

This matters because the preliminary budget was already showing a structural deficit — revenues of $197.7 million against expenditures of $204.2 million, a gap of roughly $6.5 million. Business Manager John Steffy told the board on February 19 that the shortfall is closer to $11-12 million. If the state revenue lines are as inflated as the documents suggest, the picture is worse than what was presented to the board and the public.

What the state budget could realistically provide

To be clear: if Shapiro’s proposed budget passes the legislature, Bensalem would see real gains compared to last year. The confirmed numbers are meaningful.

Sources: BTSD Preliminary General Fund Budget (Jan. 29, 2026); PA Dept. of Education proposed 2026-27 BEF, RTL, and appropriations files (Feb. 2026). Special education figure is estimated based on statewide percentage increase; district-level formula file not yet published.

The net effect, measured against what the district already budgeted, is a reduction of roughly $1.5 million — not an increase. The state is proposing to send more money than last year, but less than the district’s own administrators projected.

Charter reform: cyber only

Shapiro’s proposed budget does include a continued push on charter school funding reform — but the focus is almost entirely on cyber charters. The 2025-26 budget included $175 million in savings to public schools through reforms to the cyber charter reimbursement system, and the administration has made cyber charter cost containment a central piece of its education agenda.

Brick-and-mortar charter schools are a different matter. There is no comparable reform proposed for the tuition rate formula that governs what districts like Bensalem pay when students attend traditional charter schools. Of the roughly $26 million Bensalem pays annually in charter school tuition — covering students at more than 30 charter schools — the bulk goes to brick-and-mortar schools. That cost is driven by the flat-rate IEP calculation in state law, which sets charter tuition for students with disabilities at a rate that Bensalem and other districts argue far exceeds the actual cost of services.

That formula is not on the table in Harrisburg right now.

What comes next

The proposed state budget still has to pass the legislature, and Pennsylvania has a long history of budget delays. Even if it passes as written, the new money would not resolve the district’s structural deficit — it would reduce it.

The board has scheduled a budget workshop for March 11, open to the public. The final budget must be adopted by June 30.

In the meantime, the questions raised by the preliminary budget’s revenue projections deserve answers. The board has been misled on enough numbers this budget season — whether on the district’s financial health, its Act 1 eligibility, or the scale of the deficit. Whether the Ready to Learn overestimate is an accounting timing issue or another miscalculation, residents and board members are entitled to a clear explanation.

Have a tip or a question about the school budget? Contact Bensalem Weekly at editor@bensalemweekly.com.