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Monroe-Woodbury budget presentation restores positions, proposes $112.7 million for staff salaries
Summary
At a board meeting this evening, Monroe-Woodbury Central School District presenters said the proposed 2025–26 personnel budget would restore 6.17 FTEs cut last year, add a net 4.6 new FTEs and set a $112,689,974 salary line; benefit costs are projected to rise minimally despite higher health and other insurance premiums.
Monroe-Woodbury Central School District presenters told the board on the evening of the presentation that the district is proposing 1,128.68 full-time-equivalent positions for 2025–26, a net year-to-year addition of 6.17 FTEs that restores positions cut in the prior year. "We have proposed a total of 1,128.68 FTEs for next year," the presenter said, noting the figure matches last year's number due to restoration of prior reductions.
The presenter said the instructional staff line shows the largest single change — a 12.49 FTE increase — driven partly by 4.75 FTEs added during the current year after last year's budget adoption, a recoding of one behaviorist to the teaching line, and 2.14 FTEs returning to the general fund from title grants. For strictly new positions for 2025–26, the presentation listed a net increase of 4.6 FTEs: two special-education teachers, two ELL teachers, a writers' workshop teacher, several teaching assistants and a 0.6 ELL coordinator. The presenter said three elementary general-education sections were reduced because of slightly lower enrollment, allowing reallocation of those positions to other areas of need.
Transportation staffing is proposed to decline by 7.97 FTEs, the presenter said, explaining those slots were added last year to support additional in-house runs but remained vacant; the district plans to continue recruiting drivers and may convert contracted runs back in-house if feasible. The presenter also told the board the district expects an additional 43.91 FTEs to be funded through federal and state grants, subject to annual allocation changes.
On payroll, the presenter said the district's proposed salary budget is $112,689,974 — a 3.53% increase overall, reflecting contractual steps and raises. "This represents an overall proposed increase of 3.53% for staff salaries," the presenter said.
Presenters reviewed benefit costs and drivers. Health insurance accounts for roughly 56% of benefit expenditures and is projected to increase about 2.6%; other insurances (workers' compensation, life insurance and unemployment) are projected to rise about 7% largely because of higher required BOCES workers' comp contributions and unemployment costs. The presentation showed a 6.5% decrease in district contributions to ERS and TRS retirement systems and an overall 0.1% increase in total benefit expenditures.
A board member questioned why FICA appeared as roughly 15% of the benefits pie while the payroll FICA rate is 7.65%. Business office staff responded that the chart compares calculated FICA dollars to the total of fringe benefits, so FICA represents about 15% of that benefits pie; staff gave an illustrative FICA dollar figure of about $8,300,000. On ERS projections, business office staff said they used several methodologies and judged the district could safely lower the ERS appropriation after reviewing newer projection approaches.
No motions or votes on the personnel budget were recorded in the transcript. The presenter closed the presentation by reiterating the district's commitment to providing quality education while exercising financial responsibility and invited further questions from the board.
