Webster Central reviews $220.9 million draft budget; benefits, BOCES aid shape outlook

Webster Central School District trustees on March 18 reviewed a $220,888,625 draft budget for 2025-26 and heard staff warnings that rising benefits costs and BOCES-related expenses are the largest drivers of the proposed 4.68% increase over 2024-25.

Brian, a district staff member leading the presentation, told the Board of Education the draft represents a $9,882,555 increase driven mainly by employee benefits: “Seventy-one percent of the increase is benefits,” he said. He also walked trustees through how BOCES costs, federal special-education grants and enrollment projections feed into the district’s calculations.

Why it matters: the district said much of the budget outlook depends on state and federal decisions that could arrive after the next workshop, including final state Foundation Aid numbers and possible changes such as proposals from Albany on universal school meals. District staff flagged the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grant as a major uncertainty and said they are repositioning some positions to reduce risk if federal aid changes.

District presentation and staff cautions Brian summarized differences in the governor’s, Assembly’s and Senate’s education proposals in Albany, noting the governor proposed a 2% Foundation Aid increase while the Assembly and Senate proposed 2.9% and 3%,…