Iroquois superintendent and business official outline budget pressures, state aid changes and policy proposals

John Wolske provided the board a mid-cycle budget update highlighting state proposals, projected levy impacts and several operational items that could affect the 2025–26 budget.

Wolske said the governor’s budget proposal includes a formula guaranteeing a minimum 2% increase in foundation aid for New York State school districts; Iroquois currently expects to qualify for that minimum. “We are hoping that, through negotiations that we’ll bump up higher,” he said, but added that even 2% does not keep pace with inflation (the district cited a current CPI of about 2.95%).

Officials noted other state proposals: universal state-funded breakfast and lunch for all students and a proposal to restrict smartphone use during the school day. The superintendent explained the cell-phone proposal would require districts to provide a way for parents to contact students during the day and that the state budget sets aside $13.5 million for storage solutions such as pouches or cubbies.

On local tax capacity, Wolske presented a tax-levy calculation showing the state’s allowable growth factor at 2% (the “tax cap”) while the district’s preliminary levy projection sits at about a 3.54% increase under current assumptions. Wolske said the district’s budget remains in the red under the governor’s proposed parameters and that any additions would require reallocations within the budget.

Federal COVID-era funds that supported professional development (ESSER/American Rescue Plan) are largely expiring, Wolske said, leaving the district with a smaller pool for staff training next year. He proposed a target to reallocate at least $50,000 from the general fund as a start to maintain key professional development work tied to new assessments and instructional priorities.

Wolske also reported near-term operational items that have budget implications: BOCES service costs were largely flat for the coming year; career and technical education (CTE) enrollment is increasing (he said 115 students are currently projected for next year, which raises the district’s CTE bill); and the replacement or upgrade of building cameras and certain key-fob or lock changes are being evaluated (district staff estimated 60–90 cameras may need attention over an upcoming replacement schedule).

Technology lifecycle and student device policy were discussed at length. The district currently issues devices with a multi-year lifecycle (kindergarten devices intended to last five years; ninth-grade devices four years) and purchases roughly 600 computers a year to meet replacement and spare needs. Wolske said shifting to a model where students share devices would increase replacement counts (he estimated an extra 200 computers a year if the ownership model changed) and would raise costs.

Safety staffing and resource officers were also considered: the district plans to retain school resource officers (SROs) at each building and deploy SROs to after-school events as needed. Administrators noted creative options such as issuing golf carts to SROs to improve coverage efficiency at large events.

On calendar and inclement-weather policy, administrators described the state submission process for seeking credit for emergency days: the district can submit documentation and legal justification to the state, but the state’s approval may not be known until several months after submission. The superintendent said the district will not deny a snow day if conditions are unsafe, regardless of calendar status.

Board members asked clarifying questions about funding sources, possible service reallocations, and whether new positions would be required; administrators said many requests are currently “maybes” pending final budget decisions and grant outcomes. Wolske said the administration will present a full budget in March and continue to refine assumptions with updated state aid figures and enrollment data.