Wyomissing Area CFO Resigns; Board Ratifies 2 Power Deals

The Wyomissing Area School Board meets Monday with the resignation of its chief financial officer on the agenda in the middle of budget season. Item 7.E lists "Mark Boyer, Chief Financial Officer, District Office, resignation effective last working day, January 11, 2027." The same Nov. 16 agenda asks the board to ratify two three-year electricity contracts the district has already signed, approve a printer lease at $4,554 a month for five years, and pay $22,650 for an emergency repair to a rooftop unit at the junior-senior high school. The meeting is Monday, Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in the Community Board Room at the district office, 630 Evans Ave., Wyomissing.

The district serves Wyomissing and West Reading boroughs, and its nine directors are elected from those two municipalities, per the district's school board page.

The finance chief leaves in budget season

Boyer runs the district's business office. The district's Business Office page lists him first, as Chief Financial Officer, and Monday's agenda has him taking the roll call (item 1.D), giving the Berks EIT Report (4.C, the district's liaison report to the county earned income tax bureau) and handling the one Right-to-Know request in the agenda's log. The finance workshop summaries on the district's budget page are "Respectfully submitted by: Mr. Boyer," and the Oct. 14 summary records him walking the board through the Act 1 timeline, assessed values, enrollment, the solar projects, a PCCD safety-grant application and a five-year forecast.

The agenda does not name an interim or a successor, and it gives no reason for the resignation. The district is already advertising the job. Its Frontline job board lists "Chief Financial Officer (Anticipated Opening)," JobID 360, with a posting date of Oct. 16, 2026, a location of District Office, "Date Available: ASAP," a closing date of "Open Until Filled" and a salary range of $135,000 to $155,000. The posting asks for a Pennsylvania Registered School Business Certificate, a bachelor's degree in accounting, business, finance or a related field, at least five years in a public school setting and "Prior experience as a business official," and describes the district as about 1,900 students "with an annual budget of approximately $48 million." Ten days after that posting, the board's Oct. 26 agenda carried a revised position guide for the Chief Financial Officer, with the note "This position is being revised to align managerial responsibilities with Cabinet-level roles."

By our arithmetic, Boyer's last day falls 17 days before the Jan. 28, 2027 deadline on the budget calendar his office presented, the date by which the district must either publish a preliminary 2027-28 budget or adopt a resolution to stay within the tax index. The finance slides posted for the Nov. 9 Committee of the Whole lay out the Act 1 timeline for 2027-28: Dec. 31, 2026, to send homestead-exclusion notices to resident property owners; Jan. 28, 2027, the "deadline to make 2027-2028 proposed version of preliminary budget available for public inspection or adopt resolution indicating that it will not raise the rate of tax above the index"; Feb. 17, 2027, to adopt a preliminary budget "unless resolution adopted"; March 1, 2027, for homeowners to file homestead applications with the county; May 31, 2027, for the proposed final budget; and June 30, 2027, for the final budget. Our homestead guide explains the exclusion behind the Dec. 31 and March 1 dates.

What the district's own forecast shows

The same Nov. 9 deck gives the numbers the next finance chief will inherit. Its projection summary shows the current 2026-27 budget at $48,196,654 in revenue against $50,418,730 in spending, a gap of $2,222,076 that the district covers from its general fund balance; those two totals match the adopted 2026-27 budget. Under the scenario the deck labels "Forecast_110926_3.6% + exception," one of nine it charts and none of which it defines, the deck projects the fund balance falling from $16,443,158 at the start of this year to $14,221,082 at its end, to $1,383,201 by the start of 2031-32, and below zero by the end of that year, with the annual deficit growing to $5,006,457. Six of the nine scenarios carry the label "w/Reductions" or "w/Reductions +," meaning the business office is also modeling spending cuts, and even the most favorable of them, "Forecast_110926_3.6% + exception each year w/Reductions +," ends 2031-32 with a projected year-end balance of ($4,981) (deck p. 10). The deck's "2025/2026 Budget To Actual" slide (p. 8) shows last year closed with a "Net Change in Fund Balance" of ($436,513), against a budgeted ($700,470). The Oct. 14 summary describes October's version of the exercise: "projected year-end fund balances based on a 3.6% tax increase plus exceptions each year, and the resulting projected deficits."

On taxes, the deck's "Assessed Value Review" puts the two boroughs' 2027-28 estimated taxable assessed value at $849,090,000, down from the $853,230,983 approved for 2026-27, after 68 assessment appeals were filed this summer, 62 of them "potential appeals that could reduce total assessed values." It shows "Current RE Revenue (36.6030) = $29,319,780" and "Act 1 Index of 3.6% (37.921) = $30,405,307." The difference is $1,085,527 by our arithmetic, and the 1.318-mill increase would add $131.80 a year on a home assessed at $100,000, before the homestead exclusion, if the board went to the full index. The Oct. 14 slides add that the district "Qualified for the Special Education Expenditures exception" with an "Estimate additional amount of $186,286 tax revenue," which would take the rate to 38.152 mills. Nothing on Monday's agenda sets a rate; that vote comes in June.

The current rate is 36.603 mills, which the county's 2026 tax table lists for both West Reading and Wyomissing. The adopted budget's tax-rate report shows the board raised it from 35.3653 mills last year, and its line "Maximum Mills Based On Index 36.6030" shows the increase used the whole 3.5% index the district had for 2026-27. Our property-tax guide explains mills and the school share of a Berks bill.

No tax-cap vote here, unlike other boards this month

Act 1 is Pennsylvania's 2006 school property-tax law; each year the state sets an index for every district, and a board that wants to raise taxes by more than its index needs state-approved exceptions or voter approval. Boards that adopt an "opt-out" resolution early promise to stay within the index and skip the preliminary-budget step. The state's 2027-28 spreadsheet gives Wyomissing Area an aid ratio of 0.3800 and an adjusted index of 3.6%, the base index, as our Muhlenberg and Conrad Weiser roundup tabulated for all 18 Berks districts.

No opt-out resolution is on Monday's agenda. Across the county, Governor Mifflin votes the same night on a resolution capping its 2027-28 increase at 4.6%, as our Governor Mifflin preview explains, and Antietam's board votes Monday on a 5.3% cap, per our Antietam preview. Wyomissing Area's own timeline gives it until Jan. 28, 2027, to choose between the resolution and a public preliminary budget.

Two electricity contracts to ratify

Item 7.D asks the board to ratify, which means approve after the fact, two power-supply deals. The first is a "three (3) year electricity supply agreement with Constellation New Energy, Inc in the amount of $.06994 / Kwh. Start date of the agreement is 07/26/2027." The second is a "three (3) year master retail electricity sales agreement with BP Energy Retail Company LLC in the amount of $.06433 / Kwh. Start date of the agreement is 7/1/2027." The supply charge is the part of an electric bill a customer can shop; the local utility still delivers the power. The agenda gives no usage estimate, account list or current price, so the contracts' dollar value is not in it, and no contract documents are attached.

The agenda does not say why the district needs two suppliers, but its own workshop record shows buildings on two utilities: the Oct. 14 summary notes solar "project approvals from PPL for the JSHS and Met-Ed for WREC," the junior-senior high school and West Reading Elementary Center. The two prices are the same ones Governor Mifflin's board ratifies Monday, where, as our preview reported, that district's agenda says both contracts were priced "in association with a BCIU consortium and brokered by Provident Energy," its BP Energy confirmation sets $64.33 per megawatt-hour (6.433 cents per kilowatt-hour) for seven PPL accounts, and its Constellation agreement covers six Met-Ed accounts at $0.06994. Antietam and Hamburg Area carried the Constellation price on Nov. 9 agendas, as our Antietam preview reported. Wyomissing Area's agenda names no consortium or broker.

$273,240 for printers, and an emergency roof repair

The same item approves a "five (5) year lease agreement with DOCEO Office Solutions in the amount of $4,554 per month for multifunction printers and stand-alone printers. Expected start date is January 1, 2027." Over 60 months that is $273,240 by our arithmetic. The Sept. 9 workshop slides show what it replaces: a five-year Marco contract running Dec. 30, 2021 to Dec. 30, 2026, covering 15 leased devices, four district-owned devices under management and a PaperCut license, with overage charges of $0.003490 per black-and-white copy above a 330,000-copy allowance and $0.0331 per color copy above 50,000. The slide's "Renewal Concerns" included "Formal RFP vs Submissions" and "Contract extension vs life of device"; the agenda does not say whether the district sought formal proposals, and no lease is attached.

Item 7.D also approves an "agreement with T & T Lanco to repair RTU3 in the amount of $22,650.00." RTU3 is "Roof Top Unit 3" at the junior-senior high school, per the Nov. 9 slides, which say it was installed in 2006 and has a "Failed heat wheel," put a new unit's estimated cost at $200,000 and call the $22,650 an "Emergency Repair, will be on the board agenda for approval 11/16." The Oct. 14 slide on the same unit had estimated a new unit at $120,000 and recommended "considering this an emergency Repair/replacement."

Other personnel moves

Under item 7.E, Donna Fisher, a learning support teacher at Wyomissing Hills Elementary Center, retires effective June 4, 2027, "last contracted day of the 2026/27 school year"; Isaac Kulp, an English teacher at the junior-senior high school, resigns effective Jan. 4, 2027; and Matthew Reed, assistant boys' golf coach, resigned effective Oct. 8. Nicole Topka is appointed orchestra director at the JSHS at a $2,088 stipend for 2026-27, filling a resignation.

Jennifer Mangold moves "From Supervisor of Assessments and Instructional Interventions, District-wide, to Assistant Principal, JSHS, no change in hours or contracted salary," a change the agenda says "is to provide additional administrative support at the JSHS." Samuel Lehman and Kristina Newton move from Technology Support Specialist I to Technology Support Specialist, "no change in wage or hours," under position guides the Oct. 26 agenda proposed revising. The board also takes up a new position guide for a Food Services Cafeteria Supervisor to assist the food service director "with cafeteria staffing, daily operations, deliveries, and administrative duties across District buildings"; the agenda says "The Food Service budget will fund this position, with no impact on the General Fund," and that it "was discussed during the Food Service budget review in June." Leaves of absence are "per attached," but the agenda posts no attachments.

Also on the agenda

• Item 1.E announces the board's reorganization meeting, where it elects officers for the year, for Monday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. in the Community Board Room. The district's board page says a business meeting follows "if needed."
• Item 7.A is the Program of Studies, presented by Dr. Woodard, and 7.B a technology presentation by Mr. Arnst; both are marked non-voting. Item 3 is a presentation by Wyomissing Hills Elementary Center.
• Item 7.C approves seven overnight trips: the PIAA boys' soccer state championship, tentative Nov. 20-21 in Pittsburgh; the Ski Club at Jay Peak, Vermont, Feb. 18-21, 2027; the wrestling state tournament at Hershey's Giant Center, March 11-13; the swimming state tournament at Bucknell, March 17-20; track and field districts and states at Shippensburg, May 21-22 and May 27-29; and girls' lacrosse state playoffs June 12, 15 and 19, location to be determined. All but the ski trip are marked tentative.
• Item 7.E gives first readings to Policy 204.1, "Virtual Attendance and Wellness Checks," and Policy 807, "Opening Exercises/Flag Displays." Governor Mifflin's board gives Policy 807 a first reading the same night. No drafts are attached.
• Item 10's Right-to-Know log shows one request, dated Oct. 20, 2026, for the district's staff directory limited to name, job title, work location and district email, assigned to "M.Boyer" at 0.25 staff hours. Our guide explains how the records law works.
• Item 6.A approves the Oct. 26 minutes, the October treasurer's report and October bills; the minutes are not yet posted on the district's Keystone Agenda page, and the bill totals are "as listed in the financial packet," which is not posted either.

How to attend or comment

Monday, Nov. 16, 6 p.m., Community Board Room, Wyomissing Area District Office, 630 Evans Ave., Wyomissing. Public comment is item 5. The district's board page asks speakers to "sign in on the Visitor's Roster before the Board meeting begins," to be recognized by the presiding officer and state their name, affiliation and topic, and to keep statements, "directed to the presiding officer," to three minutes. The district posts meeting recordings through its recordings page, which links to its YouTube channel. The board reorganizes Monday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m.