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South Colonie presents second-draft 2025–26 budget, proposes 3.49% levy increase; May 20 vote scheduled
Summary
District staff presented a second draft of the 2025–26 budget that includes a proposed 3.49% tax levy increase driven largely by new debt service for capital projects and rising benefit costs. The board set deadlines and timelines ahead of the May 20 public vote.
Jacqueline McAllister, district staff overseeing budget development, told the South Colonie Central School District Board of Education that the second draft of the 2025–26 budget proposes a 3.49% tax levy increase, including a roughly 0.95% capital-exclusion portion tied to the district's next-generation capital project.
McAllister said the draft balances rising costs and enrollment growth while preserving funding for classroom programs. She identified the main upward pressures as a $4.4 million increase in debt service to pay for ongoing projects, an 8–10% rise in insurance costs, and salary trend assumptions of roughly 3–5% tied to current contracts. She also noted higher pension contributions for ERS and TRS and modest uncertainty around federal grants and Medicaid reimbursement.
The presentation contextualized the levy proposal…
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