Superintendent delivers first 2025–26 budget presentation; board adopts routine personnel, policy and opt‑out votes

The Yorktown Central School District Board of Education heard its first presentation on the 2025–26 budget on Jan. 13, with Superintendent Dr. Hatter outlining program priorities while noting that key revenue and tax‑cap calculations from the state remain pending.

The presentation covered enrollment trends, staffing drivers, health‑insurance and pension projections, the district’s use of reserves, and next steps and timelines for budget adoption. Dr. Hatter said the district will present department budgets through March, deliver a final superintendent’s budget on March 24 and expects to adopt the budget on April 21, with the public budget hearing on May 12 and the budget vote and trustee election on May 20, 2025 (7 a.m.–9 p.m. at French Hill Elementary School).

Why it matters: the district must set spending levels within the state’s tax‑cap framework and without final foundation‑aid numbers from the governor and Legislature. Dr. Hatter told the board the administration is aligning staffing to enrollment and student needs while remaining “sensitive to taxpayers.” He repeatedly emphasized that several inputs—state aid, tax cap growth factors and certain enrollment impacts from local housing—were not yet confirmed and will shape final decisions.

Key details from the presentation

- Enrollment and staffing: the district is forecasting relatively flat total enrollment but cautioned that incoming kindergarten numbers and new residential developments could change projections. A recent 27‑unit development (Krompon Crossing, near the BJ’s area) produced roughly 43 students (about 1.3 students per unit) in prior experience, a figure the superintendent used as a planning reference.

- Student needs: the district said classification rates and the complexity of special‑education cases are increasing, producing higher demand for psychologists, social workers, clinicians and specialized transportation despite stable head counts.

- Revenues and reserves: health insurance premiums in the Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES Health Insurance Consortium are currently capped at a 3.9% increase for the coming year, the superintendent said. Pension contribution rates were described as falling from about 10.11% to an estimated range between roughly 9.5% and 10% for the next year. The district signaled it will continue to use reserves to comply with the tax‑cap rules and to preserve programs.

- State proposals: Dr. Hatter noted the governor has proposed universal free lunch and breakfast for some schools for 2025–26; he said the district did not qualify for recent universal free lunch rules based on prior eligibility metrics and that “I just don't have the answer at this point” on how a statewide program would be funded or affect local foundation aid.

- Prekindergarten and timelines: the superintendent said universal pre‑K funding and program availability for next year will depend on final state aid numbers; the district was funded for 188 pre‑K slots in the prior year but enrolled 120. He urged families with children turning 5 by Dec. 1, 2025, to contact the registrar to aid planning and said out‑of‑district transportation requests are due by April 1.

Board business and votes

The board approved a bundle of routine items by voice vote, including minutes from the Dec. 16, 2024 meeting; adoption of several policies at second reading; numerous certified and classified personnel actions including appointments and retirements (the superintendent noted 10 faculty retirements planned for the end of the school year); contractual amendments and affiliation agreements; special‑education placement approvals; and acceptance of several donations.

The board also approved a formal resolution to opt Yorktown Central School District out of participation in the New York State Education Department regionalization regulatory process, citing the commissioner’s regulations (referenced in the meeting as “section 124‑2.8 of the regulations of the Commissioner of Education”). The superintendent said the district had already submitted the opt‑out paperwork and would follow up with the state the next day.

Quotes from the meeting

“We will certainly and we are certainly looking to align our staffing levels with student enrollment, programmatic needs, and student mental health needs,” Dr. Hatter said during the budget presentation.

“The money does have to come from somewhere,” Dr. Hatter said about the governor’s free‑lunch proposal, adding, “I just don't have the answer at this point,” regarding how the program would be paid for and whether it would affect foundation aid in Yorktown.

What the board approved (votes at a glance)

- Minutes, Dec. 16, 2024 — Approved (voice vote; no roll‑call tally provided). - Policies (0111; 0115; 4710; 40711 listed in agenda) — Second reading and adoption approved (voice vote). - Personnel approvals (certified and classified appointments, extra duty, resignations including 10 retirements) — Approved (voice vote). - Side letters clarifying workday (various Yorktown Congress of Teachers chapters and nurses) — Authorized (voice vote). - Edutech amendment No. 1 (on‑site IT services, pricing through TIPS contract July 1, 2024–June 30, 2025) — Approved (voice vote). - Affiliation agreement with Manhattanville University (Jan. 1, 2025–June 30, 2025) — Approved (voice vote). - Special‑education placements (as listed) — Approved (voice vote). - Overnight Yorktown High School trips (listed in agenda) — Approved (voice vote). - Opt out of state regionalization regulatory process (referenced as section 124‑2.8) — Approved; superintendent authorized to notify NYSED in writing by Jan. 15, 2025 (voice vote). - Gifts and donations (First Niners of Yorktown Schools; Richard and Wendy Siegel; Brookside PTA; Mohansec PTA) — Accepted with gratitude (voice vote).

Outcomes and notes: nearly all items were approved by voice vote with the board chair asking “All those in favor? Aye. Opposed?” The transcript records no roll‑call tallies or recorded individual votes; the articles’ outcome statements reflect the board’s recorded approvals and the superintendent’s summary remarks. The opt‑out resolution directs the superintendent to submit written notice to the state, which the superintendent said would be completed.

Context and next steps

The superintendent said further budget presentations will run from January through March, with the final superintendent’s presentation on March 24 and a planned board adoption on April 21. The district awaits final tax‑cap and state‑aid calculations; those figures are expected to become clearer after the governor’s budget release and the April 1 legislative budget schedule. The board and administration encouraged community members to view posted presentation slides online if they cannot attend Monday night meetings.

No votes or budget decisions at the Jan. 13 meeting committed the district to a final tax rate or spending plan; the presentation was an initial overview to frame upcoming departmental budget hearings.