For the fourth year in a row, the Williamsport Area School District is proposing a budget for the upcoming year which holds the line on property taxes at 17.24 mills.

In presenting the proposed general fund budget to the Board of Directors at their meeting this week, Wanda Erb, business administrator, noted that while other things could change within the budget before it’s approved in its final form in June, the tax rate will stay the same.

In his comments, Superintendent Dr. Timothy S. Bowers called the fact that there is no proposed increase again, “unheard of in the Commonwealth,” stating that “we truly use the resources that we have…and we understand the burden that taxpayers have to fund education.”

In terms of funding, Bowers said that the district is watching what is happening in Harrisburg with the governor’s proposed budget particularly in the area of charter school funding reform.

“We’ve talked to our legislators about the cost of cyber charter and what that has done to public school entities…and we’ve asked for some relief,” he said, citing a plan for the state to capping cyber charter school tuitions.

“I think my colleagues across the state feel that we’re finally seeing that people are really starting to pay attention to that, and understanding that locomotive is just out of control. And this is a good way for our legislators to give bricks and mortar public schools more money without trying to tax people and trying to bring more money into the state system. It’s money that’s already there. They’ll just reallocate it and make sure that those cyber tuition bills are fair and not exorbitant and allow bricks and mortar schools to keep more of our money,” he said, noting that the amount could be close to $2 million.

In other business, under personnel, the board approved the hiring the following persons at the positions and rates of pay listed, if applicable: Christopher R. Carithers, full-time special education teacher at Lycoming Valley Intermediate School (LVIS), $87,689; Richard A. Caschera III, full-time CTE Homeland Security & Protective Services teacher at the High School, $61,107; Gwen L. Cebulka, full-time special education teacher at the Middle School, $64,385; Abbey S. Gerasimoff, full-time chemistry teacher at the High School, $56,688; Nicholas A. Thompson, full-time CTE Business Computer & Information Technology teacher at the High School, $62,106; Madelyn J. Feltenberger, student teacher substitute, $125 per day; Hunter R. Corbin, part-time custodian at the Warehouse, $19.37 per hour; Patrick C. Mortimer, part-time custodian floater at the Warehouse, $19.37 per hour and Chase M. Seyler, substitute custodian, $15.25 per hour.

The following resignations were approved: Patrick J. Clancy, first grade teacher at Cochran; Christopher S. Gorman, music teacher at LVIS; Olivia E. Long, second grade teacher at Jackson Primary; Andrea M. McDonough, art teacher at the high school; Alyssa M. Miller, speech and language teacher; Madisyn J. Neal, sixth grade science teacher at the Middle School; Chase D. Smith, chemistry teacher at the high school; Alyssa M. Williams, long-term substitute at Hepburn-Lycoming Primary; Mariah L. Cummings, tax examiner at the School & Municipal Tax Office, and Breana L. Dauberman, full-time aide at the High School.

Several positions were also approved in the summer kinder camp, the High School’s acceleration summer school and the academic recovery fifth marking period programs.

Bids and contracts on the agenda that were okayed by the board include: the purchase of natural gas from Direct Energy at a fixed price not to exceed $3.8/Dth for a period from jan. 1, 2026 and ending DEc. 31, 2028 for the High School, Curtin, LVIS, Cochran and Jackson primary schools; purchase of backboards for the high school main gym from Builders Specialty Service, Inc., at a cost of $71,495; the purchase of back board for the high school ancillary gym from the same company for $29,852; and the purchase of backboards for the Curtin Intermediate School gym for $67,192.

An agreement with Friendship House, Scranton, to provide two secondary school-based licensed therapists for school-based counseling and therapy services to district students for the upcoming school year at a cost of $181,918 for one year with $157,033 paid from the 2024-25 Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Mental Health grant was approved.

It was announced at the meeting that there will be an Open House from 5 to 7 p.m., May 5 at the renovated Lycoming Valley Intermediate School.

The next board meeting will be at 6 p.m., May 13 at the District Service Center, 2780 West Fourth Street.