Albany board adopts 2025–26 budget with 0.9% tax levy increase

The Albany City School District Board of Education on Tuesday adopted its 2025–26 budget and set a 0.9% tax levy after a special meeting where trustees discussed enrollment projections, staffing ratios and planned capital work.

Board President Sridha Chatur opened the meeting and the presentation of the proposed budget was delivered by district staff. The board voted unanimously to adopt the budget as presented with a 0.9% tax levy.

The adopted budget reflects an estimated enrollment decline of about 300 students and an estimated general fund deficit of roughly $1.6 million under current state-aid projections, the district said during the presentation. The district also showed an estimated increase of about $14.5 million in state aid in the executive state-aid run used for planning. District staff noted the state had not yet adopted a final state budget and numbers could change when the state bill is finalized.

District staff outlined major expenditure changes in the proposed general fund: an approximately $8 million increase in transportation costs, about $3 million added for charter school tuition, an increase of roughly $3 million for capital debt service tied to ongoing projects, and approximately $1.1 million more for maintenance and operations. Staff also presented staffing-ratio projections and said that, despite the projected enrollment decline, ratios are expected to remain similar after adjustments for retirements and vacant positions.

Board members discussed the presentation slides and the district’s legislative priorities. Several trustees asked that advocacy slides—items such as requests for additional pre-K funding, support for a teacher-pipeline program and concerns about charter-school impacts—be clarified before they are emphasized in community-facing materials. The board asked staff to label virtual versus in-person community presentations more clearly and to provide easier links (for example, a tax-map image or QR code) for community members to find information about the small parcel proposed for sale.

The budget newsletter and community presentations will be distributed before the district’s budget hearing and public Q&A schedule. The district provided voting and absentee deadlines during the presentation: absentee and early-voting ballots must be received by May 20 at 5:00 p.m.; the district listed May 13 and May 19 deadlines for ballot requests and receipt of applications in the presentation materials.

The board also announced three propositions that will appear on the ballot: Proposition 1, the budget; Proposition 2, a $5,030,000 capital project to replace or upgrade HVAC units at three schools (New Scotland, Montessori, Sheridan Prep) to be funded from the district’s capital reserve funds with no tax impact; and Proposition 3, authorization to sell a small, vacant parcel at 877 South Pearl Street and 13 Binghamton Street (approximately one-tenth of an acre) with a minimum sale price of $1,000. District staff said there are no structures on the parcel.

Trustees emphasized the district’s use of reserve funds for capital work and said the board intends to maintain prudent reserves. The board discussed two tax-levy options presented: a 1.33% levy and a 0.9% levy. Under the district’s example calculations, on the currently reported assessed value a house valued at $243,750 would see a tax change of about $46.46 under the 1.33% option and about $31.44 under the 0.9% option; the board selected the 0.9% option to keep the 10-year average levy increase near 0.8%.

The meeting also noted a new early-voting location for the district’s polling: Bethany Reformed Church at 760 New Scotland Ave., replacing Stephen and Harriet Myers Middle School for this cycle. The district’s budget hearing and several community presentations and virtual Q&As were scheduled and posted on the district website and in the budget newsletter.

The meeting closed after the budget vote and the board unanimously approved a motion to adjourn.

Ending: The adopted budget will proceed to the public vote under the propositions described above; the district cautioned that some figures in the presentation are contingent on the final state budget and said staff will update the public if state aid figures change.