The public will get a look at the proposed 2026-27 Warren County School District budget during the school board’s meeting tonight.

According to information posted as part of the school board’s agenda, the 2026-27 budget comes in with a $2,986,240 deficit between projected revenues ($92,907,959) and spending requests ($95,894,198). Administrators are recommending $1 million worth of cuts. That leaves three options to find the remaining $1,986,240 to balance the spending plan: a tax increase, use of the district’s fund balance or potential savings from the 2025-26 budget. A combination of the three choices is likely. The same slide in the budget agenda shows that a .1 mil tax increase would raise $340,000, a .2 mil tax increase would raise $680,000 and a .3876 mil tax increase would raise $1.3 million.

In other business, the board will discuss a proposal to enroll in the NRG Curtailment Solutions Powerpay! program, which will allow the Warren County School District the possibility to receive payment checks if we curtail electricity usage during Penelec’s peak usage hours. A reduction would be required within 30 minutes based on PJM’s notification of an event or within 60 or 120 minutes if a lead time exception is granted by PJM. Maximum event durations would be up to 12 hours from June through October and up to 15 hours from November through April. In the event that PJM exercises its authority to call an emergency event that develops rapidly and without prior warning, the district would agree to employ commercially reasonable efforts to reduce its committed load immediately upon notification from NRGCS. The district could run a generator to satisfy its obligation if it signs on to the PowerPay! program.

Board members will also discuss an application to participate in the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. The program provides elementary students in awarded schools with a fresh fruit or vegetable snack at school during the school day to increase their consumption of healthy foods. Applicants must be approved sponsors of the National School Lunch Program. Elementary schools with the highest free/reduced meal eligibility rates whose application effectively demonstrates the ability to operate and administer the FFVP will be given priority. Warren County schools certified by the state Education Department as eligible to participate are Sheffield Area Elementary School, Youngsville Elementary School, Eisenhower Elementary School, Warren Area Elementary Center, and Beaty Warren Middle School students in fifth and sixth grades. It would cost $70 per student in each recipient school. The district, if it chooses to apply, would hear by June 30 if it is accepted into the program.