STATE COLLEGE — On Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, the State College Area School District Board of Directors at their Nov. 17 meeting discussed the recently passed state budget and the proposed 2026-27 academic calendar.
The state budget was passed by lawmakers and signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro earlier this month, ending a 135-day impasse.
The $50.1 billion budget includes increased funding for education, Ready-to-Learn block grant funding, tax credits for working families, and no new general fund taxes.
SCASD figures to see about $273,383 more in state funding than it expected, and
administrators recommended that those funds be moved to capital reserves.
Also at the meeting, the board heard an update on the 2026-27 budget timeline.
Administrators will present an initial proposed preliminary budget at the board’s next meeting on Dec. 1. They will also review the budget calendar and the potential impacts of various tax rates.
The Act 1 Index for the 2026-27 budget year is set at 3.5%. Determined by the Pennsylvania
Department of Education, this caps the amount a school district can raise property taxes without a voter referendum.
2026-27 academic calendar
Directors also discussed the proposed 2026-27 academic calendar with classes that start Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 and end Thursday, June 3, 2027.
Under the proposed plan, classes would begin the day after the start of the Penn State
semester. The district’s Calendar Committee said starting on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026 provides two benefits: allowing more opportunities for SCASD students to participate in Grange Fair and giving the schools a better opportunity to be fully staffed prior to students arriving.
Other highlights:
- Winter Break would start Thursday, Dec. 24, 2026, and schools would reopen Monday, Jan. 4, 2027.
- Spring Break would take place the week of March 8-12, 2027, which aligns with Penn State.
- State High and Delta High’s graduation would be Friday, June 4, 2027, with rain dates on June 5 and 6.
The board also heard a development update, including a preliminary report from the SCASD Education Foundation Board of Directors on the foundation’s annual fundraising efforts.
The foundation raised about $200,000 in 2024-25, providing resources to programs like the Mardi Lowry McDonough ’87 Student Opportunity Fund & Grant Program, My Mental Health
Matters Program, and the EITC Program.
Its fundraising goals are $370,000 in 2025-2026, a higher number in part because the foundation expects larger gifts for potential improvements to athletic facilities.
The report also included an update on the district’s endowments held at the Centre Foundation, which totaled $4.2 million as of Dec. 31, 2024.
In other business, the board approved the purchase of a metal detector and accessories at a cost not to exceed $18,116. The equipment is portable and will help the district boost the efficiency of its safety andsecurity protocols, like random searches at the high school and middle schools.
