Cornwall Central board presents $92 million budget, seeks voter approval May 20

Board of Education member Bridal Carty, joined by fellow board members Christian Bernelli and Christine Diaz and district leaders, presented the Cornwall Central School District’s proposed $92,000,009.86 budget for the 2025–26 school year and urged voters to approve it in a May 20 election.

“This budget would preserve all of our current programs, make important investments to student safety and early childhood education, while keeping our tax increase consistent with surrounding school districts,” Board member Bridal Carty said.

The nut graf: The board adopted a budget that would raise the district’s tax levy by 2.75%, below this year’s tax-cap limit of 3.08%, and would use nearly $2.5 million in fund balance to reduce the local tax impact. The proposal includes recurring spending for a full-time safety monitor, a full-time early intervention support teacher (split between Cornwall on Hudson and Willow Avenue Elementary), 20 additional universal prekindergarten seats, and a raise to uncertified substitute pay; it also proposes a one-time transfer to capital to install a districtwide lockdown and emergency notification system. Voters will also see a proposition to authorize creation of a new $5,000,000 capital reserve fund.

Key figures and drivers: The proposed spending level totals $92,000,009.86, a roughly $2.7 million increase from the prior year. The district projects a tax levy of nearly $54 million to fund the budget; the levy increase would be 2.75%. District leaders said roughly $2.4 million of the increase represents a “rollover” cost to continue current programs and obligations, while about $270,000 covers new positions and targeted investments.

District officials walked through the largest cost drivers: an estimated $1.4 million increase for salaries and pensions as employees advance on contractual pay scales; health insurance rising about 1.7% (approximately $200,000); student transportation and utilities each up by more than $100,000; occupational education costs up $40,000 because of higher participation and BOCES tuition; out‑of‑district special education tuition up about $300,000; insurance increases of roughly $21,000; and an approximately $500,000 increase in contractual supplies and equipment that includes higher Orange-Ulster BOCES capital project debt service. Together, district staff said, those increases account for most of the $2.7 million change year over year.

New and changed services: The board and central administration prioritized four recurring additions from a longer needs list: (1) a full‑time safety monitor at Willow Avenue Elementary to supplement the school resource officer and provide additional on‑site supervision; (2) a full‑time early intervention support teacher split between Cornwall on Hudson and Willow Avenue to address rising demand for early intervention services; (3) 20 additional seats in the district’s Universal Pre‑K (UPK) program, which three years ago began with 60 seats and would reach 118 seats if approved; and (4) an increase to uncertified substitute teacher compensation, estimated to cost about $7,000, intended to keep the district competitive with neighbors.

Separately, the district proposes a one‑time capital outlay paid via a transfer to the capital fund to purchase and install a districtwide lockdown and emergency notification system. The package described would place lockdown buttons at strategic interior locations, support mobile app activation, add interior and exterior strobe lights, and upgrade access‑control servers. District staff described this as a one‑time expense rather than a recurring personnel cost.

Funding and alternatives: To pay for the budget, the district plans to apply about $2.5 million of fund balance and the proposed 2.75% tax levy increase. Officials noted the tax‑levy increase is below the district’s maximum allowable tax‑cap of 3.08% and said Cornwall’s proposed increase is in the middle of the range compared with nearby Orange County districts.

Board member Bridal Carty warned that if voters reject the budget, the board would either hold a second vote or adopt a contingency budget. Under New York rules described in the presentation, a contingency budget would require a 0% tax‑levy increase and would force approximately $1.4 million in reductions; Carty said even eliminating all proposed new spending would still require cutting roughly $1.2 million from existing programs, affecting academics, arts and athletics across the district.

Capital reserve proposition: The presentation reminded voters that three years ago voters authorized a $5 million capital reserve fund; the district said that fund was instrumental to the 2022 capital project because each dollar in the reserve was matched by roughly $3 in state aid. The board is asking voters to authorize creation of a new $5 million capital reserve fund this year; the presentation stressed the ballot would only authorize the fund’s creation (no dollars would be deposited without subsequent board action). The district said its facilities committee estimates roughly $50 million in needed infrastructure repairs across the district and that a new reserve would enable leveraging state aid for future projects.

Public comment and next steps: One resident who identified himself as Jim thanked the board for funding the 20 additional UPK seats and urged the district to study room configurations to consolidate UPK locations in coming years, saying a consolidation plan will be “necessary in the next few years.” District staff said the presentation materials and the livestream recording would be posted online and reminded voters that the budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Cornwall Central Middle School gymnasium, 122 Main Street. Eligible voters include any registered voter who resides within the Cornwall Central School District boundaries (Cornwall, Cornwall on Hudson, and the district portions of New Windsor, Highland Mills and Woodbury).

Ending: The presentation emphasized that the proposed budget is intended to preserve current programs while addressing immediate safety and early‑education needs and that final approval depends on the May 20 public vote.