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Cornwall Central presents $1.4M needs assessment, seeks $300K transfer for district lockdown system
Summary
Business official John Fink outlined staffing requests totaling roughly $1.4 million and proposed a $300,000 transfer to capital to fund district‑wide lockdown/notification equipment; the presentation noted a projected $1.02 million state aid increase and potential pension and health‑care cost pressures.
John Fink, the district’s budget presenter, walked the Cornwall Central School District Board of Education through the preliminary 2025–26 budget development materials at the Feb. 10 working session, identifying staffing priorities, mandated costs and a proposed $300,000 transfer to capital for a district‑wide emergency notification/lockdown system.
"Our focus is on kids," Fink said as he opened the presentation, and he told the board that the district’s present needs assessment totals about $1.4 million in requests. He also said the district can expect an increase of about $1,020,000 in state aid, roughly $1 million of which is Foundation Aid.
The needs assessment and staff requests described in the presentation included: - One full‑time guidance counselor (split between Cornwall-on‑Hudson and Willow) to support special needs and RTI/IST processes at the elementary level. - One early‑intervention support teacher (split between Cornwall-on‑Hudson and Willow) and an early‑intervention specialist for the elementary schools to identify gaps and progress‑monitor interventions. - An instructional coach shared across the three elementary buildings to support ELA, the district’s Science of Reading work, the new math program and science instruction. - A guidance department chair at the middle school to align transitional supports between middle and high school guidance services. - One full‑time ELL teacher at the high school to address growing complexity of ELL caseloads. - A CPSE (Committee on Preschool Special Education) chairperson to handle rising CPSE and CSE caseloads. - Four safety monitor positions (1 at each elementary and 1 at the middle school) and a transfer to capital of $300,000 to acquire a district‑wide lockdown and emergency notification system.
Fink summarized why the district proposed the $300,000 transfer to capital: quoted vendor estimates and design options, the desire to have panic/lockdown buttons available from VoIP phones and authorized mobile devices, and features such as strobe lights for large spaces (cafeterias) to improve notification during an incident. He told the board the capital project would be completed in 2025–26 to enable aidable filing and that building aid would follow in later reimbursement cycles.
Fink also reviewed revenue and expenditure pressures the district faces: employer retirement contributions (TRS and ERS) are increasing, transportation costs and contract pass‑throughs can rise, special‑education placement costs remain variable, and employee contracts under negotiation will affect final expenditures. He noted health insurance increases were comparatively modest in the current estimate (about 2.5 percent). He said the district’s preliminary maximum allowable levy was about 3.08 percent; eliminating the $300,000 transfer to capital would reduce the maximum allowable levy nearer to 2.5 percent.
Board members asked implementation and scope questions. One board member confirmed the $300,000 figure is intended to buy the devices and system and that state building aid would be realized after project completion; Fink said aid would be received in a future reimbursement cycle and likely would not appear until 2026–27 or later. Members also asked for additional detail on specific staffing requests (for example, the CPSE chairperson and the ELL teacher) and for more breakdown of teacher and staff support that would follow any adopted budget.
Fink closed by reviewing the budget calendar dates for upcoming board budget presentations and the April adoption and May budget vote timeline. He advised the board that the final state aid runs in April will determine the district’s final revenue picture.
