Shenandoah super calls for action on state budget as district mulls short-term loan
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Shenandoah Valley School District Superintendent Brian Waite, left, delivers his report during a regular school board meeting on Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
SHENANDOAH – As the budget impasse drags on in Harrisburg, Shenandoah Valley school officials called for action as they are considering a short-term loan to maintain operations.
Superintendent Brian Waite said the district has been placed in a “challenging financial position” without about $7 Million in funding.
A short-term loan, Waite said, “could ultimately cost an estimated $10,000 to our taxpayers.”
The Mahanoy Area School District has already taken out such a loan in the amount of $6.9 Million.
“At Shenandoah Valley, we remain committed to giving our students every opportunity to succeed. In the classroom, on the field, on the stage,” Waite said. “But, without a fully-funded budget, districts like ours will eventually be forced to make difficult decisions that can directly impact students like the ones we are celebrating tonight.”
Waite referred to students who excelled in music and athletics who were noted in his report.
“Now is the time for leadership in Harrisburg to ensure that every student across Pennsylvania has access to thorough and efficient education, one that reflects both the court’s decision and the potential that we see every day in our students here in the Shenandoah Valley School District,” Waite said.
The court decision Waite referred to is a lawsuit over school funding in which Shenandoah Valley was a plaintiff.
Monday’s meeting began with a moment of silence in memory of Leanne Hall and in honor of all those who battle and have battled cancer, Waite said.
In other business, the school board approved the retirement of two staff members: high school math teacher Judy Demalis and cafeteria staffer Deborah Sosna. Sosna retired Oct. 1 and Demalis will retire at the end of the school year.
Waite expressed his thanks to the two for their service to the district.
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