Hyde Park CSD board reviews adopted $125.9 million budget and asks voters to decide on diesel and electric bus purchases

The Hyde Park Central School District Board of Education reviewed its adopted 2025–26 budget and outlined two bus purchase propositions that will appear on the May 20 ballot.

The board’s adopted budget for 2025–26 is $125,900,000, a budget‑to‑budget increase of 4.13% (about $4.9 million). The district said it set the tax levy at 2%, below the state tax cap; the levy reduction was accomplished in part by appropriating fund balance rather than cutting programmatic expenses.

Why it matters: the budget funds instruction, support services and capital work across the district and includes two ballot propositions that, if approved by voters on May 20 at Haviland Middle School, would add buses now and accelerate the district’s conversion to zero‑emission vehicles required by state policy beginning July 1, 2027.

Superintendent Dr. Roman and district business staff explained revenue and spending drivers during the review. Dr. Roman said the district is “looking to preserve, and enhance our programs and services for our students” while being mindful of taxpayers. Linda Steinberg, who presented the revenue and expenditure details, said the district is using prior‑year fund balance to keep the tax levy at 2% rather than cutting programs.

Key budget figures presented by the district include: a total budget of $125,900,000; a 2% tax levy increase; a 4.13% budget increase year over year (approximately $4.9 million); and an increase in state aid of about $126,000 over the estimate used in the adopted budget (the district said final state aid runs arrived the day of the meeting). The district also noted a jump in “other revenues” driven largely by payments‑in‑lieu‑of‑taxes (pilot payments) from a hotel and a brewery near the Culinary Institute, which were reported as roughly $700,000 combined.

Buses and propositions Proposition 2, as presented, would fund the purchase of seven replacement gasoline/diesel buses to replace vehicles that have reached the end of their service life. The gross cost shown was $975,075; after the district’s stated state aid rate of 58.4%, the net cost to the district would be $405,631. The district indicated it would finance those buses with a five‑year borrowing plan, consistent with past practice.

Proposition 3 would fund nine 66‑passenger electric buses plus a level‑3 charger for each bus. The district presented a gross cost of $4,500,000. The district expects to receive NYSERDA (N.Y. State Energy Research and Development Authority) grant funds of $2,300,000 applied directly to the vendor invoice; the district estimated an upfront capital‑reserve expenditure of about $2,219,387. The district said it would still receive state aid (58.4%) calculated on the gross amount and presented an illustrative net cost of $0 after the grant and state aid as shown on their slides, noting that timing and invoicing rules affect how state aid and grants are applied.

District staff emphasized timing and implementation details: the district said electric buses can take 12–18 months to manufacture and that NYSERDA requires buses taken out of service to be removed from the road (the bus dealer must certify that the retired buses were taken out of service so grant funds are not reused on the same vehicles). The district also explained that some diesel/gasoline purchases are necessary in the near term because certain vehicles already require replacement before electric alternatives could be delivered.

Capital outlay and other items The budget presentation also included a proposed districtwide security‑camera audit as a capital outlay item, which the district said would be an initial step toward identifying needed camera enhancements and later implementation and monitoring. The district described the building‑aid ratio for eligible capital outlay as roughly 66%, meaning a $100,000 project could net a district cost near $33,000 after aid, and said capital reserve funds may be used for bus purchases or capital projects.

Next steps and voting information The district encouraged residents to vote on May 20 at Haviland Middle School; polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. The board also said the district produced a three‑part video series explaining the budget and that the third video on community engagement would be posted by the next day.

Details not decided or clarified at the meeting The district noted that final state aid increases received the day of the meeting could not be retroactively applied to change the adopted budget but will be added to the district’s fund balance during the 2025–26 fiscal year. Exact financing schedules and potential trade‑in values for retired buses were described as subject to the vendor and financing terms, and some operational details would be handled by transportation staff and procurement as purchases proceed.