Syracuse City School District presents amended $619.9 million budget after state aid increases

Syracuse City School District leaders presented an amended 2025–26 budget to the Syracuse City Education Committee, saying new state aid lifted overall revenue and reduced the district’s planned draw on unassigned reserves. The district’s proposed spending limit is $619.9 million, an increase from $611 million in the adopted budget.

The district said the state’s revised Foundation Aid formula and other changes added roughly $14 million in state aid compared with the version presented to the council earlier this year. Chief Financial Officer Francisco told the committee that higher weights for English-language learners and increased per‑pupil CTE (career and technical education) payments were major contributors. “Which gives us an additional $1,100,000 in revenue,” Francisco said of the change in the ELL weight, noting nearly 20% of district students are ELLs.

The amendments, the district said, include a $4.5 million gain from expanded CTE special‑services aid after the state raised the per‑student payment and began including ninth graders in the CTE pupil count. District staff said state data updates accounted for about $8.4 million of the change. The district also listed increases to transportation aid, McKinney‑Vento reimbursement (homeless student transportation), and a $4.6 million rise in other aid categories tied in part to charter‑school calculations.

Nut graf: Why it matters — The added state revenue lets the district reduce its planned use of unassigned fund balance by $4.5 million while funding targeted programs and capital needs. School officials told the committee those shifts will support a citywide literacy campaign, CTE expansion that now includes ninth graders, expanded distance‑learning offerings, and several capital items, while keeping retiree health benefits unchanged.

District officials gave a line‑by‑line summary of revenue and proposed spending. Key budget figures and planned allocations the district identified include:

- A $14.0 million net increase in state aid from the previously presented budget; overall reported state aid increases totaled roughly $50.2 million year over year in the state budget highlights cited by the district.

- An additional $1.1 million in revenue tied to the English‑language learner (ELL) weight change.

- About $4.5 million from the higher CTE special‑services aid and inclusion of ninth graders in the CTE count.

- Committed fund balance uses: $8.0 million for the STEAM high school building lease; $2.0 million toward the Delaware Montessori phase‑in; and $400,000 for a workers’ compensation settlement.

- Use of unassigned fund balance: the district plans $4.0 million for capital projects (including ITC and Roosevelt stadium projects) and $11.0 million for continuing district initiatives. Because of the new state aid, the district reduced its planned use of unassigned fund balance by $4.5 million compared with the previously presented plan.

- Net revenue growth of $8.9 million (about 1.5%), producing the $619.9 million spending limit the district said it will request from the Common Council.

On the spending side, the district identified categories that increased in the amended expense budget: salary and wage adjustments ($2.3 million), benefits ($1.4 million), purchased professional services ($2.7 million), a $1.7 million rise in charter‑school tuition costs, and $0.8 million in supplies and equipment. Specific program and project allocations mentioned were:

- A citywide literacy campaign ($500,000) and related investments in early literacy supports and adult learning partnerships.

- Approximately $1.0 million toward a distance‑learning initiative intended to expand students’ access to higher‑level or otherwise unavailable certified teachers via virtual instruction, and to cover gaps in certified staffing for some middle‑school subjects.

- $625,000 for upgraded athletic field and gymnasium lighting across high schools.

- A shift toward leasing vehicles rather than purchasing to replace aging fleet vehicles and to spread costs over five years.

- Equipment reductions in other areas to offset some increases.

Chief Academic Officer Bridal Britton described the district’s literacy work and professional development. “We actually have been ahead of the game, in the state focusing on science of reading,” Britton said, and cited the district’s LETRS professional‑development program for teachers. Britton said state assessment trends are improving: “For the first time in at least 10 years, we are at below 50% of our students at level 1 in English language arts.” She said the district is coupling diagnostic tools (including DIBELS in K–2 and as needed in upper grades) with interventions and extensions for students.

Committee members asked for follow‑up information. One council member requested details about the districtwide literacy campaign; district staff said they would provide more information. Council members also asked about the school transportation increase and whether the district has analyzed the number of students who are newly homeless or living in temporary housing; staff responded that the district must follow state law requiring transportation of students up to 50 miles and that a detailed breakdown of those figures was not presented at the meeting.

A council member raised questions about retiree health coverage; CFO Francisco responded explicitly that retiree coverage is not changing under the amended plan. “Nothing is changing,” Francisco said.

No formal council vote on the amended budget was recorded during the committee presentation. District officials closed by thanking members of the committee and said they would return to the Common Council seeking the formal spending limit approval needed to adopt the amendment.

Ending: The district framed the amended budget as a modest net increase in spending supported largely by state aid changes; staff said the added revenue reduces reliance on one‑time reserves while seeding several targeted initiatives. Committee members asked for more detailed documentation on the literacy campaign, transportation counts for McKinney‑Vento students and distance‑learning plans before the council takes a final action.