Columbia school board approves tech center budget, school renovations, course offerings

MORGAN HUBER | FOR LNP | LANCASTERONLINE

When: Columbia Borough school board meeting, Jan. 22.

What happened: The board unanimously approved the 2026-27 budget for the Lancaster County Career & Technology Center. The center requested Columbia Borough School District pay $466,362, or 1.7%, of the budget. This is a $19,105 increase over the current year.

Background: All 16 districts served by the trade school are required to vote on their share of the budget. The proposed budget for the year totals nearly $27.2 million.

What’s next: The school district is expected to pay the first 15% of its share, or $69,954, by July 1, followed by 25% by Sept. 1, and then another 15% every other month through May.

Columbia school projects: The school board approved $1.96 million in renovation projects through the 2030-31 year. These initiatives, all of which are funded through the district’s capital improvement fund, will start during the 2026-27 year with the interior painting of Hill Campus and Park Elementary.

More: Other projects call for resurfacing the track, replacing the underground storage tank at Taylor Middle School, replacing bathroom doors and exterior doors at Park Elementary, plus fixing power meters throughout the district and replacing generators at Park and Taylor Middle School.

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