Beekmantown previews roughly $57 million 2025–26 budget; special-education costs cited as main risk

Beekmantown Central School District’s finance staff presented a draft $57 million 2025–26 budget and warned the board that rising special-education and contracted services costs leave the plan with little room for unexpected new placements.

District business official Dan summarized projected revenues and spending during the board meeting, saying, “So our budget, what we're looking at at this moment in time, is $57,000,001.76.” He told members the draft relies on a $25,100,000 property-tax levy, about $30 million in state aid and other revenues, $300,000 in appropriated reserves tied to debt service and $2,000,000 from the fund balance.

The details matter: the presenter told the board the district had no buffer in its special-education contractual line and warned that a small number of additional out-of-district placements would quickly push the account over budget. “I have no buffer in this line at all,” he said, describing a scenario in which two new high-cost placements could produce more than $200,000 in additional expense.

Why it matters

Special-education placements and BOCES services are the largest single source of budget volatility in the draft. The presenter said five students who recently moved into the district and were already placed in BOCES programs increased that line significantly. The board was told per-student BOCES costs commonly run from roughly $65,000–$70,000 for lower-cost placements and can rise up to about $160,000 for the highest-cost services.

Key details from the presentation

- Revenues: $25,100,000 real property tax levy; state aid and other revenues totaling nearly $30,000,000; $300,000 appropriated reserves; $2,000,000 appropriated fund balance. The presenter reported the draft total as $57,000,001.76.

- Expenditures: the budget includes one-time strategic-plan expenses in the current year that will drop next year, embedded salary and contractual increases across administrative and instructional lines, higher BOCES and residential placement costs, and expanded bus monitoring on most runs.

- Staffing and program changes: the draft budgets funding for two additional teachers, an anticipated special-education teacher whose assignment to a specific building is not yet determined, and counselor hires in some buildings that drove localized increases.

- Benefits and retirement: employer retirement and health-insurance costs remain a major expenditure category; the district reported more than $12 million annually in health insurance costs.

- Capital and debt: the capital plan and debt-service lines are included; the presenter said the district will likely go to market for bonds once bids are received and suggested being pleased to secure interest rates near 6 percent if the market permits, with refinancing an option later.

Risks and contingencies discussed

Board members pressed on several risks: the absence of a buffer for additional special-education placements, the possibility that federal changes to school-lunch or other grants could shift costs to the district, and procurement risks for school buses if steel and aluminum prices remain high. The presenter noted the district keeps some interfund transfers in reserve (for example for the cafeteria) but emphasized that unplanned high-cost special-education placements pose the clearest short-term fiscal threat.

Other operational notes

- The district is budgeting increased substitute pay and built-in substitute funding to improve retention.

- The strategic plan expense in the current year was a one-time increase (about $150,000) that will not recur in the 2025–26 budget unless additional revenues are available.

- The district is exploring accepting credit-card payments for local taxes; the presenter said fees would be passed through to taxpayers.

Votes and next steps

After the budget presentation the board moved to executive session. The board also approved a short procedural motion to appoint John as clerk pro tem; the motion passed. The agenda shows the board planned follow-up work on the budget once final state aid numbers are received and to return with any necessary adjustments.

The presenter and board members said updated state-aid figures, lottery-aid breakdowns (not currently available), and final capital bid numbers will be needed to finalize the tax levy and any appropriations from fund balance. The board directed staff to update members when those numbers arrive and to consider contingency planning for essential programs if federal funding levels change.