Kingston board adopts $249.5 million 2025–26 budget after months of planning, reserves to be used pending state aid

Kingston City School District trustees adopted a $249,522,500 budget for the 2025–26 school year at their April 22 meeting, approving a levy increase below the district's maximum allowable and authorizing the use of reserves to balance the district's spending while the state budget and final foundation aid figures remain uncertain.

The board voted to present the adopted spending plan to voters at the district's annual meeting and budget vote. Business official (presenter) Miss Carvin told trustees the plan relies on a combination of projected state aid, expense-based reimbursements and one-time reserve allocations. "We don't know what the new formula is gonna be when the budget is enacted. We know the governor's proposal only, gives Kingston City School District the minimum 2% increase, which is $1,350,000," Carvin said during the presentation.

The budget's adoption matters because foundation aid historically supplies a large share of the district's revenue; Carvin told the board that under the prior formula foundation aid represented more than 25% of district revenue. With the statewide aid formula still in flux, the district is using a mix of reserves and careful revenue assumptions to present a balanced budget for voters while avoiding immediate deep program cuts.

Key numbers and plan details

- Proposed budget: $249,522,500 (an increase of just under $18 million, 7.76% over the current year). - Proposed tax levy: $117,600,000 (an increase that does not seek the district's maximum allowable levy). - Maximum allowable levy cited in the presentation: approximately $126,147,408 (7.27% increase from prior year). - Fund balance/reserves: the plan uses an allocated fund balance of $5,500,000 and an additional tax-reduction reserve draw of $1,250,000 from prior property sales;…