May 29, 2026 By Garrett Neese 3 min read

The Laurel Highlands School District approved a preliminary budget with a $2.4 million deficit at its meeting Wednesday night.

The tentative budget of $65,757,231 marks a $90,000 increase over the one in place for 2025-26, said Thomas Shetterly, the district’s acting business manager, during Wednesday’s meeting.

“Over the next month, the administration, the board are going to work to pare that down to a balanced budget,” he said.

The board will hold a work session at 5 p.m. June 15 in the board room of the administration office. Final adoption of the budget will come at the board’s regular meeting June 29, to be held in the Laurel Highlands High School auditorium.

Board members voted 7-0 in favor of approving the budget, with members Debbie Cunningham and Miranda Novak absent.

Shetterly said the district’s net position is a $75 million deficit, which he said was not uncommon around the state. The majority of that — about $63.7 million — comes from the district’s pension system. Statewide, the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System had $40.9 billion in unfunded liabilities, according to its most recent actuarial valuation report in March.

“We pay these things as we go on, so it’s not truly representative of our financial position,” Shetterly said.

The board also heard from Food Service Director Jason Johns that the district’s summer food program will offer sit-down meals for students at the middle school, high school, and Hutchinson Elementary School. Students 18 and under will be able to eat free in the cafeteria.

Grab-and-go meals will also be available throughout the summer at Clark Elementary School.

Johns said the district had also applied to start a new four-year cycle for free breakfast and lunch for students through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Eligibility Provision.

“No student has had to pay for lunch or breakfast over the last five or six years, so we’re hoping to continue that,” he said.

The district has been approved by the state to determine if the program meets the district’s financial needs, Johns said.

The food service program cannot be operated at a deficit, Johns said. To make up the difference, the district also sells extras and a la carte items to students.

Also Wednesday, Acting High School Principal Bobbi Downs told the board she had been notified two weeks ago of a new dual-enrollment program allowing high school students to take classes through PennWest University for no extra fee. Students can also dual enroll at West Virginia University for $75 a credit.

District Chief of Police Jim Pierce said security upgrades at Clark Middle School have been completed, with more than 100 cameras installed. Pierce told the board he would also be requesting bag scanners for all buildings.

The board also heard from Superintendent Jesse Wallace that with 90 days left, 171 kindergarten students had preregistered for the coming year.