April 6, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
The Bethlehem Area School District’s early 2026-27 budget has an $11.7 million gap.
The BASD school board pondered the spending plan at a March 30 workshop. Revenue is projected at $383.2 million, while expenses are forecast to be $394.9 million.
That gap can be bridged by cuts, maybe some creative financing and of course a tax increase, or some combination. No final decisions have to be made until this summer, but the board has a lot of work to do.
Most of the funding for the schools — a quarter of a billion dollars — will come from local sources, and another $125 million from the State of Pennsylvania. Federal and other sources account for less than $8 million.
The bulk of the spending — $252 million — is for instruction, with about an additional $108 million for “support services.” Paying off debt accounts for almost $28 million and some other items push the total forecast expense for the year to $394.9 million. Athletics account for $3.43 million, according to the budget reviewed at the workshop.
The board of directors of the Bethlehem Area School District will have a finance committee meeting on April 20 and the next meeting of the entire board will be April 27. See this link for agenda, meeting times and locations; agendas are subject to change.
The BASD board often does much of their work in committee meetings, so some items aren’t discussed much in the meetings of the entire board.
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 
My friends outside of this area are astounded at what we pay in the BASD for taxes.
Bethlehem Area School District (BASD) is facing a nearly $10 million deficit, prompting discussions of a 4% property tax increase, which would raise additional funds compared to previous years. In comparison, neighboring districts may have different tax rates, but BASD’s proposed increase is among the highest allowed under state regulations. lehighvalleynews.com
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