Kingston prelim budget shows $4.6 million gap; transportation and out‑of‑district special education are major drivers

Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Ms. Garvey presented a draft 2025‑26 budget to the Kingston City School District Board of Education on March 5, saying the district currently projects a budget gap of about $4.6 million while awaiting final state aid numbers.

Garvey told trustees the district’s working revenue and expense figures reflect the executive state budget and the district’s current estimates. She said the executive budget lists Foundation Aid at $68,900,000 for Kingston, and that the district’s current tax levy plan would set a proposed levy near $125,800,000 — approximately a 6.97% increase over the current year. Garvey said the district’s maximum allowable levy under the tax cap calculation is $126,147,400, a 7.27% increase over the current year levy of $117,600,000.

Garvey outlined the draft totals presented to the board: preliminary revenues of roughly $246.9 million and draft expenses of about $251.0 million, producing a working gap of roughly $4.6 million. She described total expense increases of about $15.9 million year‑over‑year, with the largest components being salaries and benefits ($7.6 million), debt service ($3.2 million) and transportation (about $4.0 million, a figure she said is likely to change after pending bids). Special education expenses and out‑of‑district tuition also rose; Garvey said out‑of‑district tuition was projected near $24.2 million and that about 22% of the district’s students were classified.

On transportation Garvey said the district has seen two recent rounds of RFPs and increased contractor costs tied to driver shortages and wage pressures; she said the district currently has an RFP outstanding and expects proposals next week that could affect the transportation line item.

Board members questioned drivers of the increases and possible responses. Trustee Corsones asked whether the out‑of‑district tuition increase reflected higher per‑student costs, a higher number of placements, or both; Garvey answered that it was both: “there was a significant increase in tuition in 2022–23 and we’ve had both the number of placements and rate increases,” she said. Trustees discussed whether bringing some programming back in‑house could reduce costs; Superintendent Dr. Padalino and other trustees noted BOCES placements aggregate students from several districts and that economies of scale affect feasibility. Padalino said the county BOCES has been expanding capacity in response to rising demand for specialized placements.

Garvey said the district’s next steps are to continue evaluating scenarios as the state budget is finalized, refine transportation projections after RFP responses, and return to the board with updated numbers. She asked trustees to note the compound effect of leaving levy capacity “on the table,” explaining that a lower levy this year reduces the starting point for future levy calculations and future available revenue.

Trustees expressed appreciation for the business office’s detailed work and asked for additional follow‑up in future meetings, including a breakdown of clubs and vehicle inventories noted later in committee reports.