Goshen school officials outline $5.3 million budget gap, urge levy decision by March 1

GOSHEN, N.Y. — At a Feb. 18 meeting, district finance leaders told the Goshen Central School District Board of Education the proposed 2025–26 budget currently shows a $5,300,000 shortfall and urged the board to indicate by March 1 whether it will seek a levy near the cap or make spending reductions.

Assistant Superintendent for Business (name not provided) said the $5.3 million gap “does not include appropriating fund balances” and described both increases and planned reductions in next year’s proposal.

The shortfall stems from major cost increases and enrollment shifts. The presentation listed contract salary increases of about $2,200,000, a final-year increase for a BOCES capital project of roughly $302,000, and higher special-education placements that together raise costs by more than $800,000 ($600,000 for incoming special-education placements and $213,000 for private placements). The superintendent’s office and business staff reported prior investments in teacher training — $6,700 in 2023–24 and $14,296 so far this school year — and said proposed professional-development lines remain unchanged in the draft budget.

Officials also identified savings and one-time offsets. The district reported roughly $566,000 of “breakage” savings from retirements and vacancies, a transportation savings of about $653,000 after shifting some routes in-house, and software‑use reductions currently estimated at $12,900 (with further reductions possible). Other reductions include a $25,000 decrease in legal fees and roughly $270,000 in supplies and contracts. The presentation noted prior year one‑time uses, such as $760,000 removed for bus purchases now paused; a possible capital project would add about $1,200,000 in cost if approved.

On revenues and the levy, staff outlined the district’s tax‑levy calculation, including tax base growth, payment‑in‑lieu amounts, and capital exclusions. The presenter said the district’s current allowable levy increase without an override is about 0.45 percent and that fully funding the draft budget without reductions would require a levy override of roughly 6.9 percent. Bringing capital exclusions into the calculation would raise the allowable cap to about 1.84 percent. The business office stressed it must know the board’s direction by March 1 to complete levy paperwork.

Board members asked clarifying questions about the arithmetic behind increases and decreases, and staff acknowledged some figures will change as state aid and final enrollments are confirmed. The presentation flagged contingency items: the transfer to the lunch fund is currently reduced on the assumption of statewide universal free meals (a proposal by Gov. Kathy Hochul); if that proposal fails, the district would have to restore that amount to the budget.

Next steps: staff will refine numbers as state aid information arrives in March, and the board must decide whether to use more reserves, propose a levy increase, or pursue additional spending reductions to balance the 2025–26 budget.

(Additional budget detail: BOCES capital aid has offset significant technology and security purchases in recent years; security and cyber‑attack related software/hardware purchases were listed at $110,000 gross and about $40,000 net after aid.)