Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Tax Levy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Arlington board weighs 2.74% tax-levy proposal as administration plans staffing shifts to close budget gap
Summary
Superintendent and business office presented budget scenarios showing deficits at lower levies and a near-balance at the district—s legal cap; administration proposes rightsizing through attrition (7—1 FTE reductions) while avoiding layoffs and leaving room for targeted additions for English learners and safety.
The Arlington Central School District administration recommended a working budget built around a 2.74% tax-levy increase and told the school board it can close most of the gap without layoffs by using attrition and targeted adjustments.
Superintendent Dr. Phil Pannazzi told the board the administration—s current planning shows a working deficit ranging from roughly $2.6 million at a 2% levy to about $1.5 million at a 2.74% levy; by the district—s legal levy limit (3.74%), the budget model would be roughly balanced. The business office and administrators said they will bring detailed position-level reductions and program trades to the board on March 11.
Why it matters: After several years of large state and federal increases that helped expand staffing and programs, state aid growth has slowed. With salaries and benefits still the majority of the operating budget, the district said it must right-size staffing levels to match current enrollment and maintain programming without sudden layoffs.
The administration emphasized it prefers to meet reductions through attrition and internal reassignments. Hillary Roberto, the district—s assistant superintendent for human resources, told the board: "we're planning for approximately 7 to 9 FTE or full time equivalency" reductions as part of the 2025-26 planning. Roberto said those reductions will fall primarily at the secondary level where enrollment has fallen most sharply and where prior staffing adjustments have been less extensive than at the elementary level.
Business manager Kevin (name on transcript) explained the mechanics of the levy scenarios during the board discussion. "Any 0.1 change ... that's a hundred and $56,000," he said, quantifying how small levy changes translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars for the budget. He and the superintendent laid out three levy scenarios the board had discussed: 2.0% (roughly $2.6M short), 2.5% (about $1.8M short), and 2.74% (about $1.5M short); at the legal levy cap of 3.74% the model showed a small surplus (about $42,000 in the administration—s workplan).
Board members pressed for detail and a timeline. The administration said it will return to the board on March 11 with a recommended budget package tied to a levy recommendation (administration said it would prepare a package at about 2.74% and show the ads and reductions that produce that number). The administration stressed that reductions shown thus far rely on natural attrition and reassignment rather than layoffs, and that any staffing moves would be communicated to individual staff before public adoption.
Context and next steps: The administration said it is still finalizing some figures (notably a federal/state accounting item referenced as the DHIC holiday in their materials) and will continue to refine projections. The board asked the administration to prepare a clear, position-level package tied to a specific levy so members could provide final direction before formal adoption. Public hearings and the district—s traditional budget timeline remain in place; the administration noted final state aid figures could change the picture modestly but that large state increases are not anticipated.
Votes and formal actions from the meeting included approval of routine consent items and policy second readings (see "Votes at a glance" below).
