Fredonia board readies June 17 revote on 1.9% tax levy to fund narrowed capital project

Fredonia Central School District officials on June 3 presented a revised budget that cuts the district's original 2.59% levy proposal to a 1.9% increase and set a revote for June 17, when polls will be open from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Superintendent Doctor Zilias opened the special budget hearing and said the 1.9% levy is intended to "entirely support Proposition 1," a pared-down capital project focused on health-and-safety work such as roofs, mechanical and electrical systems and playgrounds. Business official Mr. Forbes told the board the district reduced $166,000 from the initial proposal and is proposing a 1.9% levy that translates to about $63 a year per average household, or roughly $5.25 a month.

Mr. Forbes said the budget currently reports salaries and benefits as roughly 70% of expenditures, includes a $100,000 capital outlay (with an 82.7% building-aid ratio for that work), and reflects a $23,800 reduction in final New York State aid. He warned that if the levy fails a second time the district must operate on a contingent (0%) budget under state law, which could force elimination of an additional 3–4 faculty or staff positions, reductions to summer programming and extracurriculars, and charging community groups to use district facilities.

Public commenters offered sharply contrasting views. Resident Mary Days (44-22 Asmar Road) said she would vote no and argued state aid increases could cover much of the capital project; she urged the district to rein in spending rather than raise taxes. Deanna Sherlock, a parent and former district employee, urged the board to preserve special-education supports, citing that 16.4% of students receive Committee on Special Education services and warning that cutting CSE positions could increase costly out-of-district placements.

Darren Paschke, a community speaker, urged passage of the 1.9% levy, saying the district has drained reserves in past years (he noted $750,000 of fund balance used in the current budget) and that modest levies now can prevent deeper cuts later. "For $63 a year, we need to move Fredonia forward," he said.

Administrators emphasized tradeoffs and compliance with the tax cap. Mr. Forbes described the risk of a "pothole" in the tax-cap calculation if the district remains at zero in a subsequent year, which could limit future levy flexibility. The board also noted the importance of state building aid and the potential to lose the roughly $17 million in projected aid for the capital project if the district did not advance the work.

The board set the revote for June 17, 2025; Miss Morrison said the revote will be a single-item ballot on a basic budget of $38,193,800 and explained the legal notice schedule leading up to the vote. The district said it will continue outreach and share presentation slides ahead of the vote.

Next procedural step: the budget revote will be held June 17 with polls open 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.; the board will implement whatever outcome voters choose under state rules.