Carmel Central board adopts $147.24 million budget with 0.74% tax‑levy increase

The Carmel Central School District Board of Education voted unanimously April 8 to adopt a $147,236,096 budget for the 2025–26 school year, the district’s administration said.

The vote followed a line‑by‑line presentation by Ken Silver, assistant superintendent for business and human resources, who said the budget reflects a 3.9% increase from 2024–25 and a proposed tax levy of $102,149,794 — a 0.74% increase over the prior year. Silver told trustees the district plans to use $1.7 million of restricted reserves in part to fund capital repairs and to offset certain expenses, and that the district still expects to end the year with about $3 million in fund balance.

Why it matters: Trustees and administrators framed the package as a balance between restoring some services and protecting taxpayers after a turbulent budget year. The proposal moves several aidable expenses to more appropriate fund codes (for example, copier contracts to BOCES to capture 67% state aid and certain cafeteria monitors into the cafeteria fund), and includes…