JACKSON TWP – The Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School’s budget is in the clear on the school side, but school board members still have lingering questions.

Vo-tech’s executive director Regina Hiler presented the proposed budget to Seneca Valley School District on Monday, March 3, the seventh of seven districts that send students to vo-tech.

Last week, Moniteau and Slippery Rock Area school districts both unanimously approved the budget, giving the plan the necessary five of seven schools to officially pass.

The budget still needs a majority of individual school board members from the seven districts to approve the budget, which they vote on by mailing in a ballot.

Before Moniteau and Slippery Rock approved the budget, there were concerns over whether the budget would pass with five schools approving. Board members from multiple districts expressed concerns over budget increases stemming from the vo-tech’s current teachers contract, such as teacher salaries and benefits. On Feb. 12, Knoch School District voted against approval, 5-2.

The proposed vo-tech budget would see a total operating budget of $7,253,631 for the 2025-26 academic year. This represents a 7.59% increase from the previous year. Salaries and employee benefits make up a combined 76.56% of the proposed budget.

Seneca Valley would provide $881,771 for 2025-26 in the proposed budget, the second most to Butler Area School District’s $2,152,023. This would be an increase of about $58,000 from last year for Seneca Valley.

Seneca Valley students currently enrolled at vo-tech number 166, according to information previously provided by Hiler.

Seneca Valley board members made their appreciation known for Hiler putting the budget together, and acknowledged increases due to health care benefits play a large role in the budget increase.

But board members, as well as superintendent Eric DiTullio, also said they would like to see a plan for growing programs, as well as accommodation abilities for the number of students from each school.

“I think it’s important that we evaluate each and every program. The ones not as many kids are participating in we need to evaluate closely, and we need to make room for the ones that are growing,” board member Tim Hester said. “And I know we’ve had that conversation many times over the last couple years, so I really need to make sure we have an emphasis on that.”

Board member Fred Peterson said that, while believing the vo-tech has made an effort to make cuts where they can, the proposed budget is a “bitter pill to swallow.”

Peterson said it was impressive how the vo-tech sets graduates up for the future, and that with Gov. Josh Shapiro speaking in favor of vo-tech schools, hopefully more money will be dedicated toward that. However, he said board members and the vo-tech need to take a harder look “at challenges coming down the line,” such as updated capital projects.

The board will vote on approval next week and did not give any additional indications on how it would vote. But concerns were clear from board members like Peterson.

“So we leave you tonight with that bitter pill, needing to find a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down,” Peterson said. “I’ve appreciated your hard work, and if indeed we’re not able to vote in favor of your budget, I hope you won’t take it personally and you can continue to work with us to make things better next year.”