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%, respectively. He flagged several items with potential local impact, including a proposed increase in library materials aid (from $6.25 per pupil to about $11 per pupil in the proposals) and changes to BOCES-eligible salary caps for certain programs.

On federal funding, Brian said the district receives an IDEA allocation that typically ranges from about $1.8 million to $2.1 million and described that funding as “the part of federal funding that is the area of most concern for us.” To reduce exposure if federal timing or amounts change, staff said they plan to shift three positions now paid from the IDEA grant into the general fund so those roles are preserved even if grant payments are delayed or reduced.

BOCES, aid timing and local share Staff gave a detailed explanation of Monroe 1 BOCES mechanics and how the district’s share is calculated. The district said it represents 19% of Monroe 1 BOCES enrollment and therefore pays roughly 19% of the shared administrative budget. Brian explained the district’s BOCES aid ratio will be about 0.639 for the coming year; that ratio is applied to eligible BOCES expenditures to calculate state aid.

Staff also explained the cadence of BOCES aid payments: the state pays BOCES in multiple installments (25% in February, 30% in June and 45% in September), and BOCES remits aid to member districts, which can create one-year timing lags between spending and reimbursement.

Staffing, enrollment and class-size projections District presenters said instructional-line increases are tempered by retirements and other breakage; noninstructional salaries (hourly aides, custodians, bus drivers, etc.) are rising in part because of higher starting wages and minimum-wage pressures. The district reported that kindergarten registration was still below 500 at the date of the workshop but that staff expect it to pass 500 by final enrollment; projected average elementary class sizes were presented as roughly: kindergarten 18, first grade 20, second grade 21, and third through fifth grades similar to the prior year.

Special education and risk management Staff described private and BOCES placements for special education and said private-placement tuition levels are stable this year. They reiterated that IDEA funding timing and amounts are a primary concern; the district is shifting certain positions from grant to general-fund support to mitigate the financial risk. Brian said the district tries to anticipate potential timing mismatches between federal fiscal calendars and the district’s July–June budget year.

Other line items and savings levers Staff described reductions and constraints at the building level (equipment and supplies), modest changes to athletics spending (reduced event streaming), and limited opportunities to trim BOCES-driven costs without sacrificing aid (because many BOCES expenditures return a substantial portion in state aid). District staff also noted that some costs — technology, fiber, and instructional software — are rising and are difficult to cut without losing aid or service capacity.

Next steps and timeline The district plans to refine staffing and enrollment projections before Workshop 3 on April 8, and to finalize a budget adoption schedule ahead of a May 1 publication and May 13 public hearing. Staff said April 1 (the state budget deadline) will be significant for final state-aid numbers and that some Albany decisions could arrive after the district’s next meeting.

Quotes “We've been budgeting right up to the deadline this evening,” Brian said, describing ongoing refinements. He summarized the BOCES aid formula: “Our BOCES aid ratio is going to be 0.639.” On federal funding uncertainty he said, “This is the part of federal funding that is the area of most concern for us.”

Ending Trustees did not vote on the budget at the workshop; staff asked the board to review the draft and noted additional changes may follow final state and BOCES information. The Board scheduled Workshop 3 and signaled it will revisit the draft after Albany and BOCES updates are available.