Superintendent proposes 2025–26 budget with 1.74% tax-levy increase; energy performance contract meeting set

Superintendent Dr. Ron Hatter presented the district's recommended 2025–26 budget at the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education meeting on March 24, 2025, proposing a 3.34% budget-to-budget increase and a recommended tax levy of 1.74 percent.

Dr. Hatter framed the proposal as a balance between student needs and community economic realities, saying the district used a "modified zero-based budgeting approach" focused on staffing and programmatic priorities. "Everything that we do starts with children," Dr. Hatter said during the presentation.

The presentation outlined priorities and drivers for the coming year. Among the proposed investments and changes: expanding the FlexPath program from 14 to 18 seats; hiring two literacy coaches focused on K–8; adding an ELA teacher; expanding American Sign Language offerings at the middle and high school levels; adding technology and facilities support; and planning for transportation cost increases. Dr. Hatter said the district had 10 teacher retirements and three resignations to date and expects to replace about six of those positions.

Key budget drivers and fiscal context reported during the presentation included a projected $700,000 increase in the transportation contract, a $600,000 increase in health insurance costs, and other contractual obligations. The superintendent said the district allocated $2,200,000 of fund balance this school year to comply with the tax cap; fiscal-advisory committee materials later referenced using $1,200,000 of fund balance to reach the 1.74% levy target for 2025–26.

Dr. Hatter discussed enrollment and programs: the district's universal full-day Pre-K program operated in partnership with the YMCA and will grow from the current enrollment figures (20 students in year one, 20 in year two) to about 136 students for the coming year, he said. He described the budget as "very tight" but designed to keep class sizes within board guidelines while maintaining existing programs.

On energy and sustainability, public commenters and board members urged the district to pursue energy performance contracts (EPCs). Larry Killian, representing Yorktown 100, recommended the district use EPCs to install solar panels on roofs and parking lots at no upfront cost to taxpayers. Paul Moskowitz, a member of the Town of Yorktown Climate Smart Community Task Force, urged the facilities group to obtain solar bids and consider electric vehicles for town departments.

In response, Dr. Hatter said the district has an energy performance contract meeting scheduled for April 2 with Engie and consultant John Kane; the vendor asked for more than a year of utility bills as part of its evaluation. He said the operating budget itself does not include a large-scale EPC allocation this year, but bond projects include several efficiency measures (LED lighting, more efficient heating/cooling and related work) where feasible. The superintendent also said the district is examining electric-bus feasibility but noted limitations: the district's private transportation provider owns buses and that large-scale bus electrification requires grid capacity and state-mandated transitions.

Dr. Hatter provided estimated tax-rate impacts associated with a 1.74% levy: an estimated 1.12% change for the majority of the district's tax base (Town of Yorktown); two smaller parts of the district were shown in the presentation at estimates of 9.46% and 7.59% respectively, figures the superintendent said were driven by local equalization rates in each town's assessor's office. He cautioned state aid remains an uncertainty: the district projected about a $2.5 million increase in state aid using the governor's preliminary run, with the governor's budget due April 1.

Dr. Hatter also briefed the board on the district's bond program (roughly $55 million in facility work approved by voters), noting scope pressures on the facilities office and additional clerical support requests to handle the bond workload. He highlighted a field construction issue that fell outside the bond scope: pipes beneath a field that had collapsed and require replacement, creating additional cost and schedule considerations for the district.

Questions from the board covered enrollment assumptions for new housing, the degree of contingency in the proposed budget, the status and timing of state aid, federal funding levels (about $1.25 million annually for Title programs), and the district's planning for transportation and facility demands. Dr. Hatter said final adoption will follow additional review and that state budget developments are expected before the adoption vote.

The superintendent reminded the board that the budget vote and trustee election are scheduled for May 20, 2025, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at French Hill (as stated in the presentation).