Central Bucks schools stand to receive an estimated $838,000 in new state funding under the 2026-27 Pennsylvania budget that Gov. Josh Shapiro signed Sunday, July 12, according to projections from the advocacy coalition PA Schools Work.

Because Central Bucks doesn't qualify as underfunded under the state's adequacy formula, most of that money comes from cyber charter savings and a modest bump in basic education funding, not the large adequacy payments heading to lower-wealth districts.

The $51 billion budget directs $565 million statewide to close a funding gap that Commonwealth Court Judge Renée Cohn Jubelirer declared unconstitutional in February of 2023. It's the third annual installment of a multiyear plan to address an estimated $4.5 billion shortfall. Lawmakers invested roughly $1 billion in the first two budget cycles; with this year's $565 million, the three-year total reaches approximately $1.6 billion, leaving about $2.9 billion unaddressed.

The final House vote on the budget was 167-35.

What Central Bucks gets

The district's projected share breaks down this way, per PA Schools Work's pre-budget analysis: $569,070 in cyber charter reimbursement savings, $158,990 in basic education funding, $60,326 in special education funding and a $50,000 minimum adequacy investment. Central Bucks, with 17,295 students and a median household income of $137,034 according to Census estimates cited in the analysis, is not among the 363 Pennsylvania districts that fall below their per-student spending target.

For context, Bristol Township School District, a lower-wealth Bucks County district, received $1.8 million in adequacy funding alone in the 2024-25 budget, the first year under the formula. That illustrates the scale difference between districts above and below the spending target.

The basic education concern

Education advocates warn that the budget's $58 million increase to basic education funding falls well short of the $200 million annual increase a state commission recommended to keep pace with inflation. That gap matters for Central Bucks families because basic education funding is the district's primary state revenue stream.

"To provide children the education the constitution demands, we need more teachers and more programs," said Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, a senior attorney at the Public Interest Law Center. "Despite that, many underfunded schools stayed level this year, while others made cuts."

Central Bucks is not classified as underfunded, but advocates argue the basic education funding shortfall affects all districts by failing to keep pace with rising costs. When baseline funding stagnates, even wealthier districts face pressure on staffing and programs.

Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, said the adequacy money is making a difference where it lands. Schools receiving larger payments are reducing class sizes, investing in STEM teachers, and expanding math and literacy coaching, Chapin said.

Central Bucks School District has posted its 2026-27 final budget on its website, cbsd.org.