Gloversville school officials outline preliminary 2025–26 budget, two reserve-funded propositions

Kathy Mayer, a district staff member, told the board the first draft of the Gloversville City School District's 2025'26 budget is roughly 2.48% higher than the current year, an increase of just over $1.8 million.

Mayer said the governor's preliminary aid figures show an increase of about $650,000 but that those numbers could change once the district finalizes corrected transportation costs and receives updated BOCES figures. "This is a very fluid number as BOCES figures have not been updated and have a tremendous effect on the budget as a whole," Mayer said.

District officials said the tax cap for the coming budget cycle was 1.77%, or $284,300, and that the administration expects to use a mixture of a transfer from the debt service reserve fund and district fund balance to cover the local share of debt payments and balance revenues and expenditures. Mayer also reported the board will present two separate propositions at the April meeting: one to purchase two wheelchair-accessible buses, a plow truck and a suburban using the school bus and vehicle reserve ("having no impact on the tax levy," Mayer said), and a second to purchase musical instruments and classroom furniture funded from an existing reserve.

Why it matters: The draft budget sets the envelope for the district's 2025'26 spending plan and frames choices about reserves, capital needs and the use of fund balance ahead of the April propositions and the budget vote.

Details provided at the meeting included: - First-draft change: +2.48% (about $1,800,000). - Tax cap cited: 1.77% (cited as $284,300). - Governor's preliminary aid: cited as "just over $650,000" (Mayer noted this could change). - Personnel changes discussed: addition of two cleaner positions (one daytime high-school cleaner and one second-shift cleaner to rotate between buildings). - Reserve and fund-balance actions: transfer from the debt service reserve fund to offset local debt payments; planned use of remaining 2020 capital-project funds (approximately $1,900,000, as stated by Mayer) to add to the debt service reserve fund.

The district's business office said transportation budgeting is under review because this is the first year the district is accounting in-house for the full suite of transportation expenses; Mayer noted some contracted runs remain for certain special-education routes and for McKinney-Vento scholars who live as far as Schenectady. "We are reviewing transportation costs not related to personnel in an attempt to budget as close to actual as possible," Mayer said.

Superintendent Dave (name as stated in the meeting; role: superintendent) thanked Mayer for the budget work and said the district's fund balance remains "healthy," adding that administration and the district's financial advisors are reviewing long-range plans for fund balance use. He also addressed concerns about potential federal changes, saying that should department-level federal changes occur, federal funds received now would likely be routed through New York State as block grants, similar to earlier ARP-era arrangements.

Next steps: Mayer told the board she expects BOCES figures and the state budget to clarify revenues before the district adopts the 2025'26 budget at a future meeting; the board will consider the two proposed reserve-funded propositions at the April meeting.

Ending: Mayer ended her presentation by reminding prospective board candidates that nominating petitions are available for three open seats (terms July 1, 2025'June 30, 2028) and that petitions must be returned by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30. She also noted the library trustees and library budget will appear as a separate proposition on the same ballot.