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Batavia board reviews preliminary $70.3M budget that shows $3.8M gap; 3.19% levy cap flagged
Summary
District finance staff presented a first-draft 2026–27 budget showing roughly $70.3 million in proposed spending, a projected $3.8 million gap between expenses and revenues, and a preliminary maximum allowable tax-levy increase of 3.19% that board members said will need further review.
Batavia City School District officials presented the first draft of the 2026–27 budget Monday, flagging a revenue shortfall and asking the board to weigh the district’s allowable tax-levy options.
The draft budget presented by district finance staff projects total appropriations near $70.3 million and estimates an overall revenue increase of about 5.18%, driven largely by an 8.2% uptick in state aid. The presentation also showed an expenditure increase of roughly 11.19%, producing a gap that the administration quantified as “about $3,800,000.” That figure was presented by the district budget presenter and repeated during board discussion.
Why it matters: the board must balance competing priorities — preserving staffing and programs, covering higher insurance and BOCES-related costs, and limiting property-tax impact on local taxpayers. The administration used the statutory tax-levy formula to show the district’s maximum allowable levy for 2026–27 at 3.19% (about $662,000), a ceiling the board can choose to use, reduce or exceed with supermajority approval.
Budget drivers and assumptions District staff told the board the largest drivers on the revenue side are foundation and building aid. The draft reflects an estimated $2.9 million increase in state aid, a portion of which is anticipated to come as building aid related to current capital projects. On the expense side, presenters pointed to several high-cost items: a near 30% jump in health-insurance claims that the district estimates will add roughly $1.9 million to next year’s costs, increased transportation contract costs, and the district’s preliminary share of a proposed Genesee Valley BOCES capital project.
The presenters also explained how certain revenue and expense lines are expenditure-driven (for example, transportation and building aid) while others are formulaic. The draft uses a $2.5 million appropriation from fund balance and budgeted reserves to smooth projected costs, and it includes preliminary assumptions for upcoming collective-bargaining settlements.
Board reaction and next steps Several board members pressed administration for options to reduce the levy request. One board member cautioned that “3.19 is big” for this community and urged further scrutiny of staffing requests and reserve usage. Superintendent Smith and budget staff urged the board to consider which levers to use — adjustments to staffing requests, reserve allocations, or remaining near the levy cap — and said a more detailed draft will be available during the coming budget presentations.
What’s next: the budget calendar shown to the board schedules deeper reviews in February and March, a final draft to be circulated in April, and the budget adoption and public vote process to proceed per state law in April–May.
