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Caledonia‑Mumford board sets 2.3% levy, outlines $550,149 budget gap and staffing refinements
Summary
The Caledonia‑Mumford Board on March 25 agreed to use a 2.3% tax‑levy projection and discussed a $550,149 budget gap. Administrators proposed not filling two vacant positions, shifting spending to staff development, and using reserves selectively; the board set dates for the budget calendar.
Caledonia‑Mumford Central School District’s Board of Education on March 25 agreed to project the district’s portion of the property tax levy at the tax‑cap level — a 2.3% increase — while reviewing a forecasted budget gap of $550,149 and a set of proposed spending refinements.
“The gap that we need to close is $550,149,” Superintendent Dr. Chanel said during the budget development presentation, laying out revenue uncertainties and choices for closing the shortfall as state aid is finalized.
The administration recommended several near‑term refinements to reduce the gap without immediate layoffs. Those included not filling two vacant positions — a proposed STEM teacher at the high school and an academic intervention services (AIS) position at the elementary level — and reducing some summer curriculum expenditures. Dr. Chanel estimated that hiring a new full‑time STEM teacher, including salary and benefits, would raise costs by roughly $90,000.
District business official Dr. Capen reviewed the district’s reserves and revenue mix. He said operational reserves total roughly $4 million (about 18% of the budget) and capital reserves account for about 10%, combining to just under 30% of the budget. He urged the board to consider reserves for one‑time, bridge or start‑up expenses rather than recurring operating costs.
Board members asked how the district would balance the short‑term savings of leaving roles unfilled against the long‑term benefits of direct student supports. Several members supported investing in targeted staff development and coaching to bolster tier‑1 and tier‑2 instruction rather than immediately restoring tier‑3 AIS capacity, while others emphasized the continuing need for direct intervention services.
Administrators noted previous difficulties sustaining a strength‑and‑conditioning coach through BOCES and the University of Rochester contract experiments. They proposed redirecting an existing $35,000 set‑aside and seeking efficiencies elsewhere while maintaining the technology budget.
The board agreed to proceed with the district portion of the revenue at the 2.3% levy and to await final state aid numbers before finalizing the full budget. Next calendar steps announced by the administration include a possible update April 8 if revenues are known, a special meeting on April 21 to vote on the BOCES administrative budget, a public budget hearing May 13 and the district budget vote and school board election on May 20.
The board did not take final adoption votes on staffing or reserve use at the March 25 meeting; those decisions will appear on future agendas once revenue figures and further analyses are available.
