Hendrick Hudson board directs 8.24% levy to appear on May ballot after marathon budget discussion

The Hendrick Hudson Central School District Board of Education voted to move forward with a proposed school budget built around an 8.24% tax-levy increase, the board decided after a three-hour public discussion and a series of program-budget presentations on March 4.

The decision came after district leaders laid out program budgets and a fiscal context driven by the loss of roughly $25 million in annual revenue following the Indian Point Energy Center shutdown. Superintendent (presenter) told the board the district had pursued intense advocacy since October 2023 and "secured $2,100,000 in additional short term state funding" and a multi-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes pilot estimated at $20,000,000 over its life, providing roughly $4,000,000 per year, though he cautioned those amounts do not replace the historic revenue stream.

Why it matters: Hendrick Hudson officials said the combination of a lower state aid per pupil and the Indian Point revenue loss leaves the district reliant on a mix of reserves, advocacy gains and local levy increases to avoid program cuts. Trustees discussed five scenarios ranging from smaller levy increases that rely heavily on reserves to larger overrides intended to stretch the district's runway and buy more time for advocacy to produce sustained revenue.

Board discussion and trade-offs: Trustees emphasized clear voter messaging and asked administration to present numbers in dollar terms when speaking with residents. Several trustees said they prefer a larger override to extend the district's runway; others expressed concern about affordability for fixed-income residents. The superintendent and finance staff presented projections showing that under the lower-levy scenarios, the district's energy-cessation and stabilization resources could be depleted within three years; higher-levy scenarios extended that timeline.

What the administration presented: Assistant to the superintendent for finance Jill Figueroa outlined key budget drivers: health insurance increases (roughly 5%), principal-and-interest increases tied to a $30 million capital project and transitioning bond anticipation notes into bonds, and other contractual increases that together produce an overall budget-to-budget increase the administration quantified as approximately 6.63% before levy choices. Figueroa described a $127,000 reallocation toward legal and debt-financing costs and noted the district is beginning to pay debt service on the construction project.

Possible outcomes and next steps: Board members were briefed on the vote calendar (public hearing, mailed notice, and the May ballot) and the legal consequences of a failed budget vote: the board may resubmit an identical or revised budget for a second vote; if a second proposed budget fails, state rules require the board to adopt a contingent budget at this year's levy level and find corresponding cuts. Administration confirmed it will prepare public-facing materials explaining the dollar effect of levy options, and the board directed staff to file the levy amount corresponding to Option D (8.24%) for ballot materials.

From the meeting: "We secured $2,100,000 in additional short term state funding," the superintendent said, summarizing recent advocacy work, adding that the district had logged more than 100 advocacy engagements with state and federal officials since October 2023. Trustee panelists pressed for both continued internal efficiency work and an aggressive external advocacy campaign to complement any local levy proposal.

The board scheduled further community forums and a line-by-line budget review day (March 21) to answer resident questions before the public hearing and vote.