Pennridge’s fiscal future: From financial discipline to reckless spending

Not long ago, Pennridge School District was the model of fiscal responsibility: a district that finally broke free from decades of debt and tax-and-spend habits. Through careful financial planning and sound stewardship, the prior majority-Republican board built a foundation that most districts could only dream of.

For years, Pennridge rolled the surplus, the difference between what was budgeted and what was spent, into its capital fund to maintain facilities and fund improvements. It wasn’t flashy, but it was smart. That approach ensured buildings were well-kept without draining taxpayers or piling on unnecessary debt. This year alone, that surplus was $4 million, more than enough to keep up with maintenance in a district with no urgent facility needs and a steadily declining enrollment.

From $120 million in debt to a path toward freedom

When the majority-Republican board took over in 2016, Pennridge was saddled with $120 million in debt and trapped in a cycle of annual tax increases followed by more borrowing. It was a broken model: raise taxes, spend more, repeat. But through deliberate financial planning and conservative budgeting, that cycle was finally broken.

Instead of kicking the can down the road, the board focused on paying off debt while living within its means. Taxes were stabilized, spending was brought in line with revenue, and new debt was no longer taken on. The result was a long-term plan that would make Pennridge debt-free by 2029.

Along the way, the district’s annual debt payments dropped from $12 million to $6 million, freeing up an additional $6 million each year to reinvest in education and operations. By 2029, when the final $6 million in debt payments are gone, the district would gain $12 million in additional annual funds to strengthen programs, improve facilities, or reduce the tax burden on families.

That’s the kind of stability any district would envy.

Inheriting success, and squandering it

This new board inherited the best financial situation Pennridge has ever had and, in a matter of less than two years, they’ve already managed to squander it.

The prior board left behind a clear financial roadmap and negotiated long-term contracts with all three unions: those contracts, plus $6 million in annual funds from that drop in debt payments to offset the costs on the increases to those contracts, along with a substantial amount for any other rising costs, still without raising taxes.

Instead of following that plan, the new majority reverted to the same reckless model that dug Pennridge into debt years ago. They ignored the structured budgeting, dumped the $6 million into the capital account, then claimed poverty to justify a tax hike. That money wasn’t meant to sit idle; it was meant to offset known cost increases and maintain fiscal balance.

Even worse, before conducting a needs assessment or hiring an engineering firm, this board decided to spend $10 million in capital funds; with no plan for what to spend it on. They announced the spending first and promised to “figure it out later.” That’s not budgeting. That’s impulse shopping with taxpayer money.

For a district whose facilities are already well-maintained, with no pressing capital needs and a declining student population, this kind of decision-making is both unnecessary and irresponsible.

The charter school blame game

Whenever questions arise about Pennridge’s financial direction, the board points fingers at charter schools, claiming the district is “forced” to pay high tuition rates for students who leave. But here’s the truth they never mention: The charter rate is directly tied to Pennridge’s own per-pupil spending.

When the district spends $14,000 per student, that’s the amount it must also send to charter schools. If spending per student were lower, the charter tuition rate would also be lower. Every time this board raises taxes or inflates spending, they’re actually driving up the very costs they complain about.

Ironically, they’re lobbying for the state to cap charter rates at $8,000 per student while spending nearly twice that amount themselves. If they can’t live within their own means, why should anyone else be forced to? In an additional round of staggering irony, these wounds are entirely self-inflicted as the number of students attending cyber charter school skyrocketed due to parents feeling disenfranchised by the board focusing on political activism over education. 

Hoarding cash while crying poor

Pennridge already holds an 8% unreserved fund balance, the maximum allowed by state law. The state recommends a 5% reserve, which means Pennridge is already 3% above what’s considered prudent. On a district budget this size, that difference amounts to millions. Yet, instead of responsibly using those funds to stabilize taxes or strengthen programs, this board is now creating yet another account to stockpile even more money.

At the same time, they claim they’re “underfunded” because their state aid increase wasn’t as large as they wanted even though funding still increased. In other words, they got more money, just not as much more as they hoped, and somehow that’s a crisis.

Spending more, educating fewer

Even Pennridge’s own business administrator admitted during budget season that the district’s enrollment has dropped by roughly 1,200 students in recent years. Yet the board has continued to add staff positions, inflating personnel costs rather than adjusting to the district’s smaller student body.

In any business, declining demand would prompt a review of staffing and spending. In Pennridge, it’s been used as an excuse to hire more and spend more.

A district at a crossroads

Pennridge’s prior financial recovery wasn’t an accident. It was the result of disciplined planning, fiscal restraint, and respect for the taxpayers who fund the district. That legacy has been upended in less than two years by a board more interested in optics than outcomes, more focused on spending than sustainability.

If Pennridge continues down this road; taxing more, spending more, and planning less, it won’t just lose the progress that took years to build. It will lose the trust of its taxpayers, the morale of its educators, and the stability that made it a model district in the first place.

Fiscal responsibility isn’t partisan. It’s common sense. And right now, Pennridge needs a heavy dose of it.

Brian McMullen is a sixteen-year Sellersville resident, devoted husband of 25 years, and father of two Pennridge students, one at the high school and one at Upper Bucks County Technical School. With 26 years of experience as an IT systems engineer in health care, pharmaceutical, and municipal infrastructure, he brings a calm, solutions-focused approach to complex challenges. Brian is deeply committed to fiscal responsibility, community engagement, and ensuring thoughtful, transparent leadership as a candidate for Pennridge School Director.