WEST MIFFLIN, Pa.; February 21, 2025 – The budgeting process for the 2025-26 school year is well underway within the West Mifflin Area School District. Over the next several months the district will distribute a series of brief stories outlining some of the budget priorities and challenges that need to be met by the administration and school board.
Over the past five years, the leadership team of Superintendent Mr. Jeffrey Soles and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Solomon have skillfully steered the district through the COVID-19 Pandemic, significantly improved the financial picture of WMASD and crucially invested in the district’s facilities and infrastructure. In recognition of their contributions, the school board awarded new contracts to both leaders in 2024 with the mandate to build upon the momentum of the Titan Evolution.
The Titan Evolution is the strategic direction of the district: creating a thriving culture for student growth and success. Major investments in academic, artistic and athletic tools and infrastructure have taken place in the past four years, including:
- Students and teachers utilize advanced technology and modern curricula and materials in the classroom and at home after more than $3 million of purchases focused on the needs of our learners and teachers.
- Although a fire in December delayed the unveiling, the $1 million renovation of the high school auditorium into the Titan Performing Arts Center promises to inspire future Titan performers and to enhance the comfort and viewing pleasure of their families and audiences.
- Members of the baseball and softball teams have new state-of-the-art playing surfaces and the opportunity to “play under the lights” after a $2 million investment in those fields.
- An additional commitment of $1.4 million to the district’s physical plant repaired much of the roof of the high school.
In addition to the above efforts, most of which were paid through grants, district finances have improved. In 2020, the district’s general fund balance stood at $1.5 million; today the general fund balance is more than $4 million. The district’s debt principal is $74 million, but that amount has dropped from $89 million in 2020.
As WMASD continues to move forward with short and long-term initiatives, the 2025-26 budget will be crafted in an environment of greater uncertainty:
- COVID-19 pandemic relief funding has ended;
- Local real estate tax revenues, particularly for West Mifflin commercial and industrial properties, continue to decrease due to the common level ratio and the lack of a county-wide reassessment since 2012.
- Federal money, which includes Title I funding for math and reading support and subsidies for student breakfasts and lunches, is potentially at risk given recent statements about the future of the U.S. Department of Education and additional spending cuts.
-While the Fair Funding lawsuit led to a determination that Pennsylvania must provide more funding for less affluent districts such as WMASD, the state legislature has not committed the anticipated funds through a specific and enduring revenue stream.
In the coming months, the district will keep the community informed about the 2025-26 budget process. Priorities such as providing support to district students and taking care of WMASD employees, many of whom live in the West Mifflin community, will be considered. The district takes its fiduciary responsibility to local taxpayers very seriously and a thorough review of all revenues and expenditures is underway.
The district believes in the Titan Evolution and is working to ensure that the community trusts the administration and school board to continue to build that thriving culture for student growth and success. For evidence of the Titan Evolution, the WMASD community is invited to the secondary campus on Saturday, March 8, to be immersed in Titan Pride during the Titan Evolution Alumni Madness event!
To watch a brief video about the Titan Evolution and to learn more about Alumni Madness and its related events, go to:
www.wmasd.org and https://westmifflin.esvbeta.com/protected/ArticleView.aspx?iid=52APIB&dasi=3030 .