Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania — As the district is faced with a downgraded credit rating and projected deficits, an email from Cumberland Valley School District Superintendent Mark Blanchard explains adjustments to be made that will be necessary to balance the school budget.
Blanchard is anticipating cuts to district staffing, programs, and operations, as well as a transition from a full-day to a half-day Kindergarten schedule for the 2025-2026 school year at Middlesex Elementary School. This adjustment will bring Middlesex in line with other CV elementary schools, which currently operate on a half-day Kindergarten model.
Blanchard said CV is, “facing a significant budget shortfall due to multiple financial pressures, including rapidly increasing enrollment, rising operational costs, increasing charter school tuition, and higher healthcare and retirement expenses.”
Read the full email:
Dear Cumberland Valley School District Families,
Like many districts across the state, we are facing a significant budget shortfall due to multiple financial pressures, including rapidly increasing enrollment, rising operational costs, increasing charter school tuition, and higher healthcare and retirement expenses. Additionally, these financial pressures are compounded by inadequate state funding formulas that have not accounted for rising costs and the evolving needs of growing school districts like ours. While we have already taken steps to reduce spending, it has become clear that additional budget adjustments, including potential adjustments in staffing, programs, and operations, will be necessary.
As part of these budgetary considerations, we want to share an important update regarding our Kindergarten program. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, Middlesex Elementary School will transition from a full-day to a half-day Kindergarten schedule. This adjustment will bring Middlesex in line with our other elementary schools, which currently operate on a half-day Kindergarten model.
We understand that this change may impact some families, and we are committed to ensuring a smooth transition. In the coming months, we will provide additional details and resources to support families through this process.
As we continue these important discussions in the coming months, the Board will carefully review all options to ensure decisions are made in the best interest of our students and community. Our primary focus is to maintain high-quality education for our students while making responsible financial choices for the future of our schools.
We are committed to keeping you informed throughout this process and will share updates as more information becomes available.
Thank you for your support and partnership as we navigate these challenges together.
Sincerely,
Mark A. Blanchard, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools
Cumberland Valley School District
Harrisburg100 
Superintendent Blanchard and Board President Rausch had opportunity to address budget deficits last year. They both refused multiple requests by 4 board members to start addressing last year by developing a 3-yr balanced budget, options to delay/de-scope $150M construction projects, and provide board members the detailed line item budget before voting on a $195M 2024-2025 Budget. Both Blanchard & Rausch refused.
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I don’t put too much stock in statement posted anonymously.
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Funny, coming from an anonymous poster!
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You could fact check this, but you are too lazy. Does the truth make you cry?
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Blanchard takes zero accountability in this letter. And the board is just as bad. Amazing how students are expected to display portrait of an eagle qualities but staff and the board aren’t even competent in those qualities.
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Shame on the District for allowing this to happen. This didn’t happen overnight. It didn’t even happen over just the last few years. The students, teachers and residents deserve better.
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CV spent on wasteful pet projects while budgets were millions of dollars in the red for years. Anyone paying attention knew this was coming.
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Is CV CUReS still laughing and clapping about this being funny?
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Board Presidents Dunn-Rausch have led the board 6 of 7 past years, enabling Blanchard to drive CV into insolvency! Two more credit notches down will cause CV bonds to be “Non-Investment Grade”!
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Rausch is worse than Linda Thompson was as Mayor of Harrisburg. CV now has same “A” credit rating as Harrisburg was when they were taken over by state! …then, lowered to A-. …and Mike Gossert Chair of Finance Committee. I thought he was suppose to be an expert running municipalities!
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This is the “status quo” Heather Dunn voted for by unethically promoting Blanchard rather than allowing the board to search for a qualified candidate.
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i wonder if Rausch will break down crying in public like Dunn when Blanchard skips out of dist before he is unemployable by other districts?
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Perhaps district officials should emulate the recently introduced DOGE approach mounted by the new administration in DC and perform a top to bottom objective examination of each and every CVSD component. Obviously, eyes other than those of CVSD administrators, board members, employees, etc. would be required to focus on a serious examination of all aspects of district operations to include student educational outcomes.
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The DOGE-bag approach is all smoke and mirrors and not saving anything significant. Yes, lets get rid of sports because some of the ladies look like dudes and vice versa. Cafeteria is a waste. All kids just need to pack lunches. Lights and running water is overrated. Books? libraries? cmon isn’t that what iphones are for?
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DOGE made you cry? Can you tell us how DOGE hurt you? Do you need to cry this out? Facts and numbers must really be upsetting to you. Maybe you should just focus on your pronouns and the 72,0000 genders.
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heck, why doesn’t Blanchard hire that Carreras guy as CFO since he creates money out of thin air…like that quarter-million we keep hearing about?
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DOGE found all this fraud, including 10s of millions of dead people getting social security checks. Not one shred of evidence, nor one referral to the Justice Department. Fraud is a serious crime. But you say there are facts and numbers. Many of the contracts posted on DOGE have been debunked and already costed out. So where are the savings from that. Nothing but drug-induced Leon Musk lies.
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Why are you posting about DOGE? You can’t distract from the truth coming out about CV. Why is the truth so upsetting to you? You must be with CVCUReS
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Stop listening to left-wing propaganda from Satan worshiping purple haired America hating people.
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Stop listening to the TV shows like the View who are indoctrinating people that are trying to fearmonger citizens of this country. Listening to left-wing propaganda from outlets that hate America and support Hamas is not healthy for your brain.
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You are on to me! Distracting from the truth about CV? Yes indeed. Is it working?
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Don’t you have a CVCUReS beer and cookie party to attend? You don’t really care about the facts. Maybe the budget is too complicated for you and your friends.
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https://k12.hillsdale.edu/#an-american-classical-education
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I have heard a few rumors recently about a safe in CV filled with cash. Maybe it has enough cash to help with the budget. This safe might give us all a reason to “cheer”.
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stolen gold from Fort Knox is in the CV safe lol
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Marty and Bud have gold? Seriously?
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the $$$ in the FL and DE mansion safes won’t do us any good!
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maybe Bud Shaffner’s wife can lend/return $$$ to Willis fm her CV Youth Cheer program?
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Stop bashing Cheer! Cut football program or track. At least cheer boosters know how to make money!
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They certainly do know how to hide cash and cook the books.
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Can we no longer have an open discussion where people do not have to be anonymous. A school district can only allocate money based on the money given to them by the state and local revenue. The super is there to make recommendations and the school board accepts or rejects the recommendation. School boards are democratically elected. Most candidates have some agenda of their own whether it is to lean towards academics, sports, special education, vocational education, band, spend money , not spend money etc.etc.If they veer too far from the community, ie increase taxes, the community will probably not re elect them. What is missing in the education discussion is why in Cumberland county do we have 10 stadiums, 10 superintendents, 10 athletic directors, 10 curriculum directors, and so on and so on. No one is looking at the bigger picture. Tell me a country that operates like this with so many little fiefdoms. What country spends a fortune on school security because of horrific school shootings. USA educational outcomes are very poor especially when compared to other countries that have far better outcomes with a lot less money. USA school calendar is still based on agricultural needs other than the 1900s. People you need to smarten up and move the USA into the 21st century. Stephen Hughes retired teacher and high school coach.
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No.
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well said
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Thank you
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and we wonder where the bullying comes from…look at the majority of your comments people. Do better.
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It comes from the CV board of directors. Years and years of bullying the average citizens. You must be of of the elites.
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