Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Kingston board told state will recoup prior aid; district staff weighing budget, tax-cap impacts
Summary
Audit and finance committee members discussed the 2025-26 budget process and a state STAC review that reported overpayments from 2011'2018; the state plans to begin recoupment with about $500,000 this year, and district staff said they are assessing the broader fiscal effect.
The Kingston City School District's audit and finance committee reported updates on the 2025'26 budget and a state review that will affect operating revenue. Miss Carbon (finance director) told trustees the district is still calculating its tax-levy/tax-cap position and that health insurance rates and state aid remain uncertainties during the preliminary budget process.
Carbon told the committee the State STAC review had identified overpayments from the 2011'2018 period and that the state is planning to recoup those amounts starting by taking approximately $500,000 from this year's payments. At the meeting a total recoupment figure was reported as $505,592; Carbon said the state will begin recovery with a roughly $500,000 reduction while the district reviews the total liability and options for spread payments. Board members and staff said they are evaluating implications for the preliminary 2025'26 budget.
The audit and finance update also included a discussion of the district's capital project financials. The tax-cap calculation, staff said, could show an increased percentage (Carbon said it could be "a little over 6%"), a distinction trustees asked to separate from an actual decision to exceed a statutory levy limit. Staff are continuing to work with the district's financial adviser and awaiting final state numbers before finalizing the preliminary budget.
Board members asked questions about federal funds, special-education funding and IDA (federal special-education) funds, and the committee scheduled follow-up work for March 25. Trustees said they would present a preliminary budget at the board's April 2 budget-only meeting and will provide materials in advance so trustees can review levy calculations and revenue estimates.
No formal budget vote occurred at the meeting; the staff update was informational and intended to prepare trustees for the budget timeline.
