Hendrick Hudson board reviews $96.2M preliminary budget; staffing, electric buses and reserves draw scrutiny

The Hendrick Hudson Central School District Board of Education conducted a line-by-line review of the district's preliminary 2025–26 budget on March 15, 2025, as administrators presented a proposed $96.2 million spending plan and explained options for balancing the budget within the district's tax-cap limit.

Superintendent Vanitha Drummond opened the presentation by framing the session as part of the district's transparency process. "This is one of my most favorite days of the year," Drummond said, adding that the book on the table represents the administration's current proposal. She told the board the plan is built "within the tax cap" and that the numbers in the book are current as of the day before the meeting.

Why it matters: the board is being asked to adopt a dollar amount that will be placed before voters. That amount determines staffing and program funding at all buildings, affects the local tax levy and draws on limited reserves the district set aside after Indian Point's closure and the state's temporary cessation payments.

Most important decisions and discussion

Staffing and retirements. Administrators outlined how staffing changes and attrition are the largest levers the district is using to balance the budget. The administration reported seven planned retirements; the current proposal would replace four of those positions and not refill three, producing savings through attrition and lower-cost replacements where positions are filled. The proposed budget retains four contingent positions (contingent elementary teacher, contingent special-education teachers and others) that could be activated if enrollment or student needs change before the start of the school year.

Per-diem substitutes and teaching assistants. Board members pressed administration on the use of permanent per‑diem substitutes at the elementary and secondary level and whether duties could be covered by unassigned teaching assistants (TAs) when appropriate. The board asked staff to analyze potential savings and service impacts if some permanent per‑diem positions were replaced by TAs used as substitutes; administrators described trade-offs, including lost TA instructional time when TAs are pulled to cover classes. The administration agreed to investigate that approach further.

Special education and code realignment. Administrators described a year of re-coding and line-item cleanup to align staff assignments to proper budget codes, and moved several special-education-related expenditures between function codes (for example, shifting E&L staff into a 2259 code). The administration said this reallocation explains some large year-to-year changes in specific lines even when total special-education spending has not grown by the same amount.

BOCES, career programs and UPK. The board discussed career and technical options run through BOCES and reported about 100 BOCES sessions, with the current BOCES per-session price cited at about $120. Administrators said BOCES participation remains important to students and that the district used Southern Westchester BOCES for some programs this year when capacity was constrained. Universal Pre-K (UPK) program costs and funding were also discussed; administrators said UPK expenditures are handled through the special-aid fund and that the district expects roughly $1.2 million in aid for the program next year.

Transportation and electric buses. Transportation supervisor Anthony (last name not specified in the record) briefed the board on an electric-bus pilot and said early planning requires only several chargers for the pilot fleet. He said the district will need to study long-term garage infrastructure, transformer capacity and how multi-run bus schedules (district buses that perform multiple routes in a day) will work with charging demands. "We would only need several charging stations" for the pilot, Anthony said, and noted planning is needed for trips and multi-run scheduling.

Operations, utilities and energy projects. Facilities staff described rising utility usage from a cold winter and noted the district's power-purchase arrangement with the solar vendor reduces some volatility but also is sensitive to snow cover and seasonal generation. The administration said an energy-performance contract (EPC) and LED lighting would likely reduce future electrical loads but cautioned cooling needs (air conditioning) may add to electricity demand.

Fund balance, reserves and the tax cap. Administrators explained the district is proposing to set the 2025–26 budget at the tax-cap limit (4.58 percent in the district's calculation) and to use a combination of attrition savings and fund balance to manage the gap. The presentation showed a projected use of fund balance to smooth the revenue shortfall caused in part by the tapering of cessation/Indian Point-related payments; administrators said they currently estimate roughly $1.4 million in unspent funds by fiscal year end that could be used to replenish reserves. The superintendent and business office staff emphasized the board must balance the competing priorities of preserving reserves, limiting taxpayer increases and protecting programs.

Requests from the board. Board members asked for clearer rollups and summaries in the budget book (for example, totals by code so members can see net changes without adding many lines), and for a spreadsheet that lays out multiple years of figures; administrators said they will provide an expanded electronic version and a summary page. The board also asked staff to quantify the staffing FTE changes districtwide (not location-by-location) and to return with financial impacts of greater TA coverage versus permanent per‑diem substitutes.

Co‑curricular programs. Principals from the middle and high school described co‑curricular offerings. Blue Mountain Middle School reported 27 clubs and recommended keeping current clubs; the school noted one new sewing club is being piloted. At the high school, administrators said 43 clubs are active and highlighted new or growing offerings such as a music-culture club, podcasting/journalism projects and a veterans-focused "Stars & Stripes" club. "I would like to keep all clubs moving forward," middle-school principal Mr. Giovinazzi said, stressing clubs' role in student connection and engagement.

What was not decided

The board did not adopt the budget at the meeting; this session was a staff presentation and a board review. No final vote on the 2025–26 budget was taken; administrators said the board will be asked to adopt a dollar amount at a future meeting and then the adopted budget will be presented to voters.

Ending

Administrators said they will refine the budget book per board requests and circulate an updated spreadsheet ahead of the next meeting, and that the administration will continue to monitor state aid, BOCES allocations and utility projections before the board is asked to adopt a final dollar amount. The board scheduled further public information sessions and an online forum to collect community questions before the budget is finalized.