Phoenixville School Board Voted 8-1 to To Approve $108.2M Budget

PHOENIXVILLE, PA —The Phoenixville Area School Board voted 8-1 to approve a $108.2 million for the 2023-2024 school year.

Dr. Jeremy Melber, finance director, said the bottom line amounts to a 1.19 percent tax increase.

The proposed budget call for a tax increase of $49.98 per year for a house assessed at $128,700, the average assessment in the district.

The district covers 22 square miles and consists of the borough of Phoenixville, and East Pikeland and Schuylkill townships. It has 32,000 residents. The district has 4,004 students.

Board member David Golberg voted against the preliminary budget, questioning why the board does not consider not raising taxes.

The district allocated an additional $50,000 for school security.

The budget includes a 5 percent increase, amounting to $28,917, for library funding.

Dr. Alan Fegley, the superintendent, said the administration will ask the board to approve a plan for redistricting at the board’s June meeting.

The district has one high school, one middle school, and three elementary schools, Barkley, Manavon, and Schuylkill, and is in the process of constructing a fourth off Hares Hill Road, East Pikeland Township.

As a result of an increase in population, the district is also reviewing redistricting elementary schools. The new school is expected to open for the 2025-26 school year.