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Pelham board reviews 2025 operating budget; proposed levy rise 3.69% within tax‑cap calculations
Summary
Superintendent and business staff presented the district’s 2025–26 operating budget: $96.29 million total, a 2.9% increase from the prior year. Staff proposed a tax‑levy increase of 3.69% (tax‑cap compliant) and said the board will review line‑by‑line budget details at three March meetings before the May 20 vote.
PELHAM UNION FREE SCHOOL DISTRICT officials gave a high‑level presentation of the 2025–26 proposed operating budget at the Feb. 26 board meeting, reporting a $96.29 million spending plan and a proposed allowable tax‑levy increase of 3.69% — a figure the administration said complies with New York State’s tax‑levy limit formulas.
Why it matters: The operating budget determines annual spending on instruction, staff salaries and benefits, special education services and facilities maintenance. The board will hold three detailed budget review sessions in March before adopting a final budget and presenting it to voters at the May 20 budget vote and school election.
Key figures and drivers - Total proposed appropriations: $96,290,000 (up $2,700,000 from the prior year; +2.9%). - Proposed allowable tax levy increase (tax‑cap calculation): 3.69%. - The administration said that, after planned uses of debt‑service reserves, 2.4 percentage points of the levy change derive from operating increases and 1.29 percentage points reflect capital costs embedded in the budget presentation. Without use of reserves the comparable levy impact would be higher.
Major budget drivers - Salaries and benefits remain the primary drivers of expenditures (roughly 70%–80% of the budget). The administration reported contractually obligated salary increases and higher health‑insurance costs as primary upward pressures. - Special education costs have grown and the district plans targeted increases in secondary-level special‑education staffing. - The administration identified retirement‑driven “breakage” (staff retiring at higher salaries replaced by lower‑paid hires) that produced partial savings; staff used attrition and scheduling efficiencies to reduce net staffing costs while maintaining program obligations. - Building aid decreases from prior capital work produced about an $850,000 reduction in state building aid relative to earlier years, which affected the overall revenue mix.
Programs and investments maintained or added - The district reports continued investment in core curriculum work, professional development (including MTSS/RTI and responsive classroom coaching), refreshed 1:1 device rollouts and ongoing facility maintenance and HVAC work. - The presentation noted maintenance of IB programming, expanded special‑education supports, and a transition of a humanities research course to AP Seminar at the high school to encourage research pathways beyond the science research program.
Process and next steps - The business office and superintendent asked the board to review the budget binder and attend March line‑by‑line review sessions (three meetings starting March 12). The public budget hearing and final adoption schedule were outlined; the budget vote and school board election are scheduled for May 20, 2025.
Quote - The superintendent thanked the business office and administrators for “a tremendous amount of work” preparing the budget and said staff would present more detailed line items and respond to board requests at the March sessions.
Ending: The proposed 2025–26 budget attempts to address rising employee‑benefit and special‑education costs while staying within state tax‑levy limits. The board will review detailed line items in March before taking a final vote in May.
