Superintendent presents tight $73M recommended budget, cites $1.5M in rising costs and near-depleted reserves

The AVERILL PARK CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT superintendent presented a recommended budget that would increase the district’s spending from about $69.5 million to roughly $73 million, noting the administration is close to drawing down its reserves and has relied on fund balance in recent years.

Superintendent (speaker 2) told the board that three main pressures — a state-set noninstructional retirement contribution increase (from about 16.5% to 17.6%, a budget impact of roughly $240,000), health-insurance cost growth (a projected increase of about $1.1 million) and higher utilities (an example budget impact of about $190,000) — combine to add about $1.5 million to next year’s expenses. “Those expenses nearly match our revenue,” he said, warning the district is “very much on the fringe.”

The superintendent said the district’s recommended tax levy will be 3.99%, below the calculated maximum tax-cap adjustment of 4.66% this year. He explained the tax-cap figure is higher now because the district’s recent capital projects (voter-approved projects in 2021 and 2024) affect the tax-cap formula through capital exclusions: voters approved debt that must now be paid through the levy.

Nut graf: The presentation framed the budget as a narrow set of tradeoffs: maintain instruction and safety investments where possible while relying on limited reserves, and using targeted reductions (largely attrition-driven) to close a modest projected gap of about $500,000 on a roughly $70 million budget.

Board questions and comments focused on process and next steps. A board member asked whether additional state aid — if the Legislature’s final budget changes the governor’s proposal — would change the approved expense budget; the superintendent clarified the board approves an expense budget and a levy for the public vote, and later state-aid changes flow into the district’s accounts but do not retroactively change the expense budget approved for the vote timeline. The administration noted foundation aid projections could change in final state action; the superintendent said a projected foundation aid increase of about $450,000 was included in revenue estimates.

The presentation included several programmatic items tied to the budget: a proposed GPS-based bus-tracking system (approx. $36,000) to improve safety and parent communications; a modestly funded girls-golf addition (about $8,500, supported by a community donation); and planned CTE expansions and reallocation of special-education supports. The superintendent also discussed the district’s preparations for possible Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) funding changes, which, if passed at higher per-pupil levels, could allow district-run UPK and some staffing flexibility for elementary intervention.

The board was told the next formal steps are adoption of the budget at the next meeting, a public budget hearing and the budget vote on May 19. The superintendent closed by stressing the district seeks to balance program integrity, safety and fiscal responsibility amid limited local revenue and increasing costs.