This is a follow-up to the message that went out to the entire community yesterday regarding the status of the school district’s 2025-26 budget.  Whereas that community-wide message provided an important budget status update in big picture terms (priorities, tax impact, etc.), this message to families is intended to lay out what next year’s budget will look like from a student and family perspective.

As mentioned in yesterday’s message, this has been an especially challenging budget season.  Inflationary pressures, along with factors like an increase in students with complex needs and ongoing funding uncertainties, have required deeper reductions than usual to achieve a balanced budget.  While the process was difficult, we have found a way to balance the budget.  Below are the most visible changes for students and families next year as a result of this process:

• Three new K-5 classes for students with complex special needs (two at Blue Bell and one at Shady Grove)—these result in the need to hire over 20 new staff members.
•  A new math teacher in Grade 6 to meet the needs of an unusually large incoming Grade 6 class.
• The class size guideline for Grade 1 will increase from 22 to 24 students, aligning it midway between the current guidelines for Kindergarten (22) and Grade 2 (26).  All other guidelines remain unchanged.
• The discontinuation of two temporary “student support” teacher positions that were created during or just after the pandemic (one each at WHS and WMS—the individuals in those positions are returning to their permanent positions).

Lastly, as we reflect on the past few months of budget discussions, it's important to highlight not only the key point from yesterday’s message—that maintaining the excellence of our schools is essential to keeping the Wissahickon community so vibrant—but also to recognize the thoughtful consideration given to the impact of every proposed change.  No addition was made without a careful vetting of its need, and no reduction was included without a recognition of its impact in the schools.  Such is the nature of budgeting give and take, and compromise, and in the end this budget results in no loss of jobs for any existing staff member (all reductions are being accomplished via attrition of retiring staff) while maintaining the standard of excellence the community has come to expect from its schools.

Thank you for your continued support.  Additional information and budget details can be found on our website. 

Warm regards,

James A. Crisfield, Superintendent