Slippery Rock School District unanimously passed its budget for the 2020-21 school year Monday with an almost $2 million deficit.

“It’s primarily due to an anticipated decrease in revenues related to the COVID-19 shutdown,” said the district’s business manager, Paul Cessar.

The district submitted a budget with a $1,927,191 deficit after its expected expenditures of $34,425,412 exceeded the predicted total revenue of $32,298,218.

The district also did not include a tax increase. The millage rate of 99.77 will be carried over for next year. The district will use its fund balance to pay the deficit. As of June 30, the district has a fund balance of $7,165,530.

“The board did not feel this was the proper time to be raising taxes,” Cessar said. “It was due to the unemployment levels across the state and in our district.”

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Sunday’s Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.