3.75% Tax Hike Approved By Centennial School District

WARMINSTER TOWNSHIP, PA — Days after missing the state's deadline, the Centennial School Board has approved a 3.75 percent tax hike in its final 2025-2026 school budget.

At a special meeting last Thursday, the school board narrowly passed the $151.6 million budget in a 5-4 vote after several attempts at getting it done before the June 30 state-imposed deadline. The state's Act 1 index was 4 percent.

Residents of Warminster and Upper Southampton townships, which Centennial serves, would pay $133 more in taxes under the average home assessment.

The decision avoids the school district from facing penalties, payroll issues, and potential legal action from the state.

The state Department of Education sets a June 30 deadline for school districts to pass budgets.

School Board President Mary Alice Brancato and School Directors Fleming Godiksen, Mark Gindhart, Michael Hartline, and Kathleen Maguire voted for the $151,676,407 budget.

School Directors Jane Lynch, Patti Crossan, Tony Sadowski, and Charles Martin voted against the budget.

At prior meetings, the school board tried to find ways to reduce the district's $5 million deficit. That included a 4 percent tax increase.

Last year, the school board approved a 4.3 percent tax increase. The Act 1 index, though, was 5.3 percent.

The school spending deficit comes at a time when the Centennial School District has changed with Schools Superintendent Dana Bedden moving on while Abram Lucabaugh joined the district on July 1.