Cornwall board reviews $92.7 million recommended budget; UPK demand and tax-levy size dominate debate

The Cornwall Central School District on Monday reviewed a recommended $92,721,136 budget for 2025–26 and opened detailed discussion about Universal Pre-K (UPK) expansion, staffing requests and how to balance the spending plan with taxpayers.

Superintendent Terry Dade briefed the board on UPK demand and the program’s recent growth. “UPK for all is a very nice headline,” Dade said, but he warned that the district’s use of lotteries and limited building space limit how quickly the district can expand seats. He told the board that the district added seats in 2022, 2023 and 2024, bringing the district total to 98 seats and $312,000 added to the operating budget over three years; he said the current class roster reached application number 144 this year and that multiple families on the wait list had declined offered slots.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Mr. Fink presented the recommended spending plan and revenue assumptions. He described the administration’s priorities, noting teacher attrition and program needs, and repeated the district’s staffing commitment: “We will not cut staff, okay, and we will not excise excess staff, and our instructional programs will continue to develop,” Mr. Fink said.

Why it matters: The recommended budget would continue current programs while relying on a mix of property tax revenue, state aid and the district’s assigned fund balance. Board members debated whether to hold the tax-levy increase to 2.5 percent (the administration’s recommendation), reduce it to a lower level to improve the chances of voter approval, or raise it toward the district’s maximum allowable levy (about 3.08 percent) to lessen reliance on the fund balance. That choice determines whether the district can add positions or other priorities in the near term.

Key numbers and proposals - Recommended expenditures: $92,721,136 (recommended 2025–26 budget as presented by Mr. Fink). - Proposed property tax levy increase: 2.5 percent, producing an estimated levy of $53,773,900 under the presentation’s assumptions. - Projected state aid (preliminary): $34,997,138; miscellaneous revenue estimate: $1,593,327. - Estimated shortfall before fund balance: about $2,356,771; the administration recommended using roughly $2.3 million of assigned fund balance to balance the budget as presented. - Needs assessment total (not included in the recommended bottom line): about $1.2 million in program and staff requests, including guidance, ELL, coaching and classroom supports.

UPK specifics and parental input Parents and community members urged the board to treat UPK like kindergarten in communications and prioritization. A parent group representative said they seek 47 additional UPK slots and asked that funds be set aside in the budget to avoid a wait list.

Dade and Mr. Fink explained operational constraints: district leaders contract with private providers and allocate seats by lottery; providers must balance UPK slots with their private-paying families. Dade said some providers are at capacity (Butter Hill and Sportsplex were named as examples) while others could add classrooms if engaged through requests for proposals. He emphasized that without in-house classroom space, expansion depends on outside providers and the state lottery process.

Board debate and proposed adjustments Board members expressed differing priorities: some favored holding the levy at or below 2 percent to increase the probability of voter approval; others argued that the board should use more levy capacity now to reduce reliance on the assigned fund balance and avoid recurring shortfalls.

Specific items discussed (examples, not all-inclusive): - Increase uncertified and certified substitute pay (board support broadly reported; exact dollar change in needs list). - Add 20 UPK seats (administration provided a cost estimate to show impact); some board members proposed a smaller incremental increase (10 seats) to balance risk of paying for seats that may not be filled. - Two safety monitors for high-traffic areas and vestibules at specific buildings, to complement capital investments for security infrastructure (panic buttons, vestibules and door upgrades already planned or in progress). - A guidance department chair at the middle school, one ELL teacher at the high school and other classroom support positions were listed on the administration’s needs-assessment wishlist.

Board direction and next steps Board members asked administration to return with concrete A/B budget options showing varied mixes of tax-levy increases and assigned-fund-balance uses. Several members signaled support for (a) the substitute-pay increase, (b) adding some UPK seats (board consensus favored a smaller increment such as 10 seats rather than 20), (c) funding two safety monitor positions, and (d) funding a short strategic-planning contract. Members differed on whether the additional cost should come primarily from the tax levy or from the assigned fund balance; several supported a blended approach. The board also noted that the state budget vote (expected in early April) could change the district’s state-aid estimate and thus alter available options.

Ending Administration said it will recalculate options for the board’s next scheduled meeting and provide exact dollar impacts for the choices discussed, including scenarios that use different mixes of tax levy and appropriated fund balance. The board scheduled follow-up budget work at upcoming meetings and emphasized public notice and outreach before the May budget hearing and the May budget vote.

Quotes (selected, verbatim from the meeting transcript): - Superintendent Terry Dade: “UPK for all is a very nice headline.” - Assistant Superintendent for Business Mr. Fink: “We will not cut staff, okay, and we will not excise excess staff, and our instructional programs will continue to develop.”