Pittsford board adopts $168.2 million 2025-26 budget, projects 2.34% tax levy increase

The Pittsford Central School District Board of Education voted to adopt the 2025-26 proposed budget on April 8, approving a $168,200,000 spending plan and projecting a 2.34% tax levy increase.

District presenters told the board the budget represents a $6.4 million, or 3.97%, overall increase from the current year and assumes roughly $600,000 in additional Foundation Aid (an estimate pending final state action). The board approved the budget after a presentation that summarized revenue sources, proposed propositions, and legal requirements.

District officials said the budget relies more heavily than usual on one-time reserves and fund balance to close gaps. The presentation noted a roughly $1.5 million budget gap that the administration has closed through a combination of reductions, attrition and use of reserve funds; presenters cautioned repeated use of reserves is not a sustainable long-term strategy.

Why it matters: board members and administrators framed the budget as balanced within the statutory tax-cap framework while warning that ongoing pressures — notably health insurance and retirement system contribution rate uncertainty — could widen future deficits.

Key details from the presentation: - Total proposed budget: $168,200,000 (budget-to-budget increase $6,400,000, 3.97%). - Projected district tax levy change used for planning: 2.34% (tax cap calculations and exclusions produced that estimate). - Foundation Aid: presenters said last year’s district increase was minimal and that advocacy efforts at the state level could yield about $600,000 this year; they described that as an estimate pending the final state budget. - Benefits and insurance: the administration reported a health insurance rate increase realized during the year of 14.4% (versus an anticipated ~10%), and said benefits accounted for the majority of the budget increase; one slide indicated ~85.76% of the year-to-year dollar increase fell into the benefits category. - Use of reserves/fund balance: the presentation said the district is using TRS reserve funds and an additional $300,000 of appropriated fund balance; presenters warned this is a short-term measure.

The board also approved three voter propositions to appear on the May ballot: authorization to use up to $2.4 million from a bus reserve fund for bus purchases (no tax increase), authorization to use $500,000 from an instructional technology reserve, and a capital outlay designation of up to $100,000 (the presentation said designating up to $100,000 as a capital outlay project at one site could generate roughly $72,600 in building aid the following year). The presenters described these reserve uses as consistent with the district’s replacement and capital planning and said they would not increase taxes if approved by voters.

Presenters described several operational priorities tied to the budget: continuing implementation of a fully aligned K–5 math and ELA curriculum, investments in professional development, and attention to mental health and special programs. The administration said it will continue studying transportation efficiencies (route structure and non-allowable pupil calculations) to increase state aid and mitigate driver shortages.

Board action: after the presentation the board called for a motion to adopt the 2025-26 budget; the motion carried with board approval. The timeline presented to the board included a budget hearing on May 13 and the district budget vote on May 20 at Calkins Road Middle School.

What’s next: district staff said they will continue to monitor the state budget process and update revenue estimates if Foundation Aid or other state allocations change. They also flagged a transportation efficiency study and planned communications to the community explaining the propositions and vote logistics.