The Seneca Valley School Board approved a $179,867,685 general fund budget for 2025-26 with a proposed millage increase of 5.53 mills, a 4 percent hike, at its June 2 work session. The board also celebrated a historic third-place national finish by the district's Academic Decathlon team.

Seven of nine board members were present, with Leslie Bredl and Susan Harrison absent.

The Academic Decathlon team stole the spotlight early in the meeting. Coach David Reichard reported that the team earned third place at the 2025 United States Academic Decathlon National Competition in Des Moines, Iowa, bringing home 23 individual medals and setting a new district record score of 45,497.3. The team also received Seneca Valley's first-ever National Banner, awarded to only the top three teams in the country.

Students competed in ten disciplines including literature, art, music, science, social science, economics, math, essay, speech, and interview, all centered around this year's theme, "Our Changing Climate." Several team members shared personal remarks about how the program pushed them out of their comfort zones and changed their lives.

"This team made school history," Reichard told the board, thanking them for their continued support.

The district also recognized 15 students who competed in the Academic Games League of America national tournament in Washington, D.C., where one team earned a national championship in Current Events. Additionally, four IHS sophomores were honored for award-winning entries in the Waldman Arts and Writing Competition at Chatham University, with Aubri Holland named the grand prize winner. School Psychologist Dr. Kathleen Mahon was named Best Buddies Advisor of the Year for the Pittsburgh region.

In financial matters beyond the budget, the board approved general fund bills of $3,278,002.72 and construction fund bills of $637,279.94. Three construction contracts were awarded to E&G Development of New Castle: $234,700 for exterior painting at Haine Elementary, Haine Middle School, and Rowan Elementary; $194,347 for districtwide concrete curb and sidewalk repairs; and $147,743 for exterior improvements to the West Fieldhouse.

The board re-enacted Act 511 taxes including the $10 flat rate occupation tax, 1 percent earned income tax, and 1 percent real estate transfer tax. It also approved the 2025-26 Homestead and Farmstead Exclusion Resolution.

A naming rights agreement with the Khara Family for the baseball field was approved at $25,000, payable in ten annual installments of $2,500 each, effective July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2035.

On the instruction side, the board approved concurrent enrollment agreements with Robert Morris University, Butler County Community College, and La Roche University for the 2025-26 school year. An agreement with Imagine Learning K-12 was renewed to operate the district's cyber program, payable in five equal installments over five years. A secondary band trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee was approved for March 2026 at no cost to the district.

The board approved a food service department incentive providing free reimbursable school meals for children of eligible employees, aimed at attracting and retaining staff. It also approved the Flexible Instructional Days program for the next three school years under Act 64 of 2019.

Dr. McKinley presented drug testing results showing 4,310 tests administered from July 2024 through May 2025, with a positive rate of just 0.9 percent compared to the 3.4 percent national average. Last year's district rate was 1.7 percent. Of 124 follow-up testing attempts, only 11 students tested positive at 8.8 percent versus 20 percent nationally. Fred Peterson thanked McKinley for the program's two decades of positive impact.

Board member Kari Zimmer reported on House Bill 1500, which would reform cyber charter school funding by capping fund balances at 12 percent of revenue and establishing a tuition rate of $8,000 per student. She cited a 2021-2023 audit of five charter schools with 44,000 students that found $898 million in revenue and $618 million in fund balances.

The last day of school for K-11 students is June 6, with the first day of the 2025-26 school year set for August 21.