PHOTO PROVIDED Members of the Keystone Central School District Board of Directors are pictured during discussions on the proposed 2025-2026 budget at its voting session on Thursday, May 8.

MILL HALL — The Keystone Central School District Board of Directors will consider final adoption of its 2025-2026 budget — which includes a 1.78 percent tax increase — at its voting session on Thursday, June 12. This would be the third year in a row the board elected to raise taxes in an effort to diminish a projected deficit in the coming years.

At its meeting on Thursday night, the board voted 5-4 to move along the budget featuring the tax increase.

If the budget $92 million with the increase is passed, millage rates will look like this:

— Clinton County: 14.41 mills

— Centre County: 46.28 mills

— Potter County: 55.98 mills

During discussion, board members expressed their unwillingness to approve a budget with a tax increase.

Board Member Chris Scaff said he felt the board could do more to cut costs and reduce the budget overall.

“I happen to know there’s a lot of municipalities that are talking about raising taxes this time around. A lot of them haven’t done it in years,” he said. “Then we’re going to add another one on.”

Scaff further said he feels the board has a due diligence to the taxpayers which hasn’t been met.

Board Member Elisabeth Lynch agreed with Scaff, saying the Pennsylvania School Board Association convention in the past showed her there are other ways.

“I talked to other board members and they are actively involved in working month to month on their budgets,” Lynch said.

Scaff said he previously suggested the board hold monthly discussions, something he reiterated on Thursday night.

“We should take a section of the budget… every single month and we should be working through it as a board with the administration to do whatever we can do to be responsible to our tax payers,” Scaff said.

Board members Tracy Smith, Polly Donahay, Roger Elling, Jeff Johnston and Butch Knauff voted in favor of the proposed budget. Board members Scaff, Lynch, Dr. Bill Baldino and Tom Cannon voted against the proposal.

The board will consider final adoption of the budget at its June 12 board meeting, which is held at 6:30 p.m. both in person and via Zoom.