Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
William Penn School District only has enough cash to operate its schools for about three more months, its superintendent said Monday. “If there’s no state budget, we will be able to continue to operate through the end of January,” Eric Becoats, superintendent of the Delaware County school system, told the William Penn school board Monday night. Pennsylvania lawmakers have now blown past their June 30 state budget deadline by more than 100 days, throwing school systems, counties and other entities that rely on state funding into turmoil. The pain is more acute in places like struggling districts like William Penn, where the district’s tax base cannot adequately fund its students’ needs. The school system, which encompasses Aldan, Colwyn, Darby, East Lansdowne, Lansdowne and Yeadon boroughs, has about 4,500 students in 11 schools. Anticipating tough times, it had already made some budget cuts going into the 2025-26 school year but state funds comprise more than half the district’s $119 million budget and with all allocations from frozen because of the impasse in Harrisburg, it is missing millions of dollars for operations. » READ MORE: Loans and layoffs: Missing $3 billion in state payments, Pa.’s public schools implore lawmakers to end budget impasse Most William Penn students come from economically disadvantaged families; most are children of color. The district was a plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit that ultimately resulted in a judge declaring Pennsylvania’s education formula unconstitutional, and ordering lawmakers to fix it. Becoats said he had reached out to the lawyers who argued the fair-funding case to explore options amid the continuing Harrisburg stalemate. “I’m not trying to scare anyone, but we are in some hard times,” board president Monique Boykins said. “I just need everyone to know what we are about to face.” Running a public school system, Boykins said, means “we are obligated to keep the doors open.” But, she said, “how can we keep the doors open if they’re not funding us properly?” William Penn is not alone in its pain; other districts have had to borrow money to make ends meet because of the budget deadlock. In Philadelphia, the school board in September authorized a temporary borrowing of up to $1.5 billion - an action that will cost the district $30 million in borrowing costs it cannot recoup. Philadelphia School District officials have not said how long they can continue to operate without state funds. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Nicole Reigelman, a spokesperson for House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia and Delaware), whose district includes William Penn, said “chronically underfunded” systems like William Penn “are suffering the consequences of the state Senate’s rejection of the commonsense budgets passed by the House. It is unfair to our school districts and the students they serve.” ‘We cannot keep borrowing’ William Penn - which based on education adequacy calculations is underfunded by about $28 million a year - spends $6 million per month on payroll, utilities, transportation and essential services. It has already taken out a $9.9 million loan just to keep its doors open this far into the school year. “We cannot keep borrowing money from banks,” Boykins said, because “that means taxpayers will have to continue to pay more money. We already know that people are losing - foreclosing on their homes because they can’t cover taxes.” Initially, Becoats told his board the district would definitely have enough money to sustain operations into October. But with no end in sight to the budget crisis, he asked his finance team: how long can we keep going? » READ MORE: Philly schools just had to borrow $1.5 billion to pay their bills. Here’s why. “If there’s no state budget by the end of January, we will definitely be in uncharted territory,” a grim Becoats said. “And I would say to you that we’re already in uncharted territory.” Officials would not say for sure what happens if January comes with no deal. If that happens, “we will have to re-evaluate all spending and operations in the coming months,” Deirdre Abrahamsson, William Penn’s spokesperson, said. “Our priority remains keeping schools open and supporting student learning, but without state funds, which make up 55% of our operating budget, difficult decisions will eventually become unavoidable.” William Penn officials already cut spending on staffing, transportation, and programs ahead of the school year. Becoats he said he was hopeful the state “will have an approved budget sooner rather than later,” but Boykins suggested the district must explore alternative solutions - like appealing to athletes and other famous people for help. “In my mind, we’ve got to go get the money,” Boykins said. “I don’t know how, we’re open to suggestions. We’ve got to figure out a way. I don’t care if we got to go out and email every celebrity we have to. Whatever we need to do, we have to be able to keep our district open, and we’re at that point.”
