Bethlehem Central approves $116.6 million 2025–26 budget; tax levy set at state cap

The Bethlehem Central School District Board of Education approved a $116,600,000 budget for the 2025'026 school year and set the tax levy at roughly $73,900,000, an increase of about 1.12% that the district said is the maximum allowable under New York's property tax cap law.

The budget decision follows a detailed presentation from district business staff outlining a revised baseline with $116.6 million in proposed expenditures and roughly $115.8 million in revenue, leaving a funding gap the board closed with a mix of revenue adjustments and a planned use of fund balance. "I am proposing for the board's consideration the use of roughly $715,000 in the district's undesignated fund balance to bring things in line," a district staff member presenting the budget said during the meeting.

Why it matters: the budget preserves core programs while minimizing immediate tax impact on residents but relies on restricted one-time revenues and reserves. District staff said the plan assumes some use of the undesignated fund balance for 2025'026 and stresses that future years will require continued monitoring and likely further difficult decisions.

Details of the budget and revenues District staff summarized the budget as a revised spending plan of about $116.6 million and revenue of about $115.8 million, producing a roughly $820,000 gap that the district addressed by adjusting revenue estimates and using fund balance. The presentation listed roughly $73.9 million from property…