Schools Superintendent Eric Byrne presented his recommended $113.2 million tax-cap compliant budget for the 2025-2026 school year, proposing a less than 2.5 percent increase over the current budget.
The plan, which Byrne unveiled last week, proposes to maintain all current programs and services districtwide, and includes a tax levy increase of 3.66 percent over this year’s budget. In all, $102.3 million would need to be collected through property taxes to cover the proposal.
The proposed budget calls for a 2.45 percent spending increase over the current $110.5 million budget.
The tax levy increase is significantly less than the current school year’s increase of 6.55 percent, which overrode the New York state tax cap for the first time in nine years. The tax cap establishes a limit on the annual growth of property taxes levied by local governments and school districts to two percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.
During budget deliberations last year, Byrne said he anticipated that the district would not face another override for years to come. This budget also marks the final one for the superintendent, who plans to retire at the end of the school year.
“It is always welcome and appreciated to see a tax-cap compliant budget request, especially after a year of having a budget override,” city Board of Education President Jane Anderson said. “It is wonderful to see sharpening of pencils, close accounting, and detail-oriented budget presentations.”
Salaries and benefits continue to command the bulk of the budget, including about 75 percent of Byrne’s proposal, or $85.4 million — an increase of $1.7 million over the current budget. Health insurance premiums are projected to increase by 9 percent for the 2025-2026 school year.
The recommended budget allocates funding for capital infrastructure projects, including upgrades to the high school and middle school auditorium’s theatrical lighting and audio systems; high school gym floor abatement in advance of its replacement; several music room floor replacements; a cafeteria roof replacement at Osborn School, and updated technology communication systems for Midland and Osborn schools.
Staffing changes include an addition of two high school teachers in support of the new IB program — an international program that provides interdisciplinary advanced courses that foster critical thinking and inquiry; one districtwide director of school counseling, and a custodian for the new wings at Midland and Osborn schools. There would be one fewer physical education teacher due to retirement.
The district has held the line on its reserve funds, with only its reserves for assessment challenges decreasing in recent years — from $6 million in the 2020-21 budget to $4.5 million in the proposed budget, due to an uptick in settlements of property assessment challenges.
Byrne projects the school district will receive $3.3 million in state aid during the 2025-2026 school year, a slight increase from the $3.2 million in state aid predicted in the current school year. That marks the first time state aid is expected to increase since the 2022-23 school budget.
But the amount of Foundation Aid — the main funding source for public schools — that the district will receive from the state is currently undetermined.
“Tonight serves as the 50,000 foot view of the budget, it is the overall budget proposal,” Byrne said. “We’ll break that down into the individual departments and specialized areas over the next few budget meetings.”
Presentations of portions of Byrne’s proposed budget are planned for the March 11 and March 25 Board of Education meetings, where the board is expected to delve into topics such as curriculum, special education, technology, athletics, and facilities.
The Board of Education is scheduled to adopt the proposed school budget at its April 8 meeting and then hold a public hearing on May 6.
Residents in the school district are scheduled to vote on the proposed budget on May 20.
