Centennial School District — Transcript
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Bucks IU Programs and Services Budget Overview and Approval
District Financial Update and Projections
Cybersecurity Technology Renewal
Preliminary Budget and Special Education Referendum Exception
Transfer of Special Education Classrooms (Transfer of Entity)
Staff Retirement Incentive Program
Middle Bucks Institute of Technology (MBIT) Budget Review
Vendor Review and Cost Management
Student Redistricting Considerations
Votes (3)
Approval of Cybersecurity Technology Renewal (Palo Alto and Arctic Wolf)
Moved by Unknown [1:19:10] · Seconded by Mrs. Kriger [1:19:12]
Kristen from technology explained that these renewals for firewall and cyber security software are critical for district protection. She emphasized the urgency to commit before March 1st to lock in current rates, avoiding a 10-15% price increase. The district also found minor savings by wrapping Palo Alto functionality around a third vendor, allowing its elimination. This item was highlighted as a significant expense not previously brought to the committee due to prior multi-year contracts.
Approval of Bucks IU 2026-2027 Programs and Services Budget
Moved by Unknown [1:19:33] · Seconded by Mrs. Kriger [1:19:35]
Rachel Holler presented the Bucks IU's 2026-2027 Programs and Services Budget, detailing the IU's role as a regional educational service agency and the specific benefits Centennial School District receives, such as leadership development, Mobile Fab Lab residencies, and support for Steel's standards implementation. The budget totals $2.15 million, with Centennial's allocation being $72,860, a modest increase of $937. Questions were raised about how student counts factor into allocations and the value of IU support for the district's comprehensive plan.
Request for Referendum Exception from Pennsylvania Department of Education (Special Education)
Moved by Unknown [1:31:07] · Seconded by Mrs. Kriger [1:31:09]
Mr. Greenwood explained the district's intention to seek a special education exemption from the state's Act One index. This exemption would allow the district flexibility to raise taxes above the Act One limit to address rapidly increasing special education costs, which have grown significantly (e.g., from $36 million in FY24 to $41 million in FY25) while state and federal revenues for special education have not kept pace. The process involves submitting data from Annual Financial Reports (AFRs) to PDE.
Notable Quotes (4)
Our vendors are willing to lock in our current rates if we commit before March 1st. You can see 10 to 15% increase after that.
our mission is to operate as a regional education educational service agency providing cost-effective management efficient programs to not only your school district but to all the public and private K to2 schools, school districts and community of Bucks County.
special education costs uh as long as I've been here right they have continued to escalate right so not only has have the number of students increased uh but the cost for the services have increased right so it is it is a it's a double it's a it's a one-two punch if you will right that we are really you have both of those things going on those costs are going up you know 10% % 15% uh year after year
The model is not sustainable, but you have to keep in mind that there are school districts on the western part of the state that are on the receiving end because of hold harmless. They have dwindling student populations, dwindling um personnel, but they are still receiving the same amount of money from the state. So where we're in a giving position, they are in a receiving position. So they are not going to want to upset the apple cart to help us.
Ordinances & Resolutions (12)
Presentation by Rachel Holler on the Bucks IU Programs and Services budget.
Governing document requiring annual approval of the IU budget by member districts.
State assessment related to Steel's standards implementation.
Assessment related to Steel's standards implementation.
District-level plan supported by the IU, completed every three years.
Legislation related to earned income tax collection.
Official financial report used by PDE to calculate special education exemptions.
Online system used by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for budget submissions.
State-mandated limit on real estate tax increases for school districts.
Initial district budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, showing a $7 million deficit.
District program approved January 27th to encourage professional staff retirement.
Past legislative proposal that failed, aimed at centralizing all tax revenue at the state level.