Fredonia board advances $39.57 million 2026-27 budget to public vote, cites rising costs and program growth

The Fredonia Central School Board of Education moved on Monday to present a proposed $39,574,249 budget for the 2026–27 school year to district voters, citing demographic shifts and rising uncontrollable costs that shaped the final draft.

Mr. Forbes, the district’s budget presenter, said the fourth draft of the budget shows a 3.61% increase in the current proposal while the tax-levy limit for the district stands at 2.44%. "Salaries and benefits encompass 68.7% of the total budget," he said, and listed four major cost drivers: a new PTAC occupational-education line of $280,000, an increase in New York State Employees' Retirement System contributions of $113,000, health-insurance cost growth of $376,000, and debt service tied to a 2025 project.

The board and administration pointed to enrollment and program changes that helped shape spending decisions. Dr. Zillak — who opened the presentation by restating updated mission and governance priorities — noted the district’s recent trends: overall enrollment up about 2%, a roughly 29% increase in students pursuing career-technical (CTE/P-TECH) pathways since 2021, a 26% increase in English-language learners and a 58% increase in students with disabilities compared with 2021. Those shifts informed staffing choices, including added special-education positions, ELL specialists, social workers, counselors and a Hispanic outreach coordinator.

Student representatives also spoke to the board. An unnamed student representative described athletics as fee-free and broadly accessible at Fredonia, saying the approach "opens the door for many different types of students to compete without restrictions." Catherine Nesherin, the other student representative, urged the community to view the budget as preserving access to extracurricular and advanced academic opportunities, saying, "When you vote on the school budget, you're not just voting on numbers." Board members discussed plans to inform eligible senior voters about the May 19 referendum.

Board members who spoke during the meeting described a familiar trade-off between maintaining programs and limiting tax increases. One board member noted the district has often kept levy increases to a minimum in recent years and estimated the proposed 2.44% levy would amount to about $6 more per month for the average household. Another member warned about the sustainability of relying on fund balance in the long term and urged transparent public messaging on what it costs to operate at current service levels.

On capital needs, Mr. Forbes said the budget retains a remaining capital-outlay line of $100,000 and referenced about $1,000,000 of interior work associated with proposed tennis-court repairs and state-architectural requirements. He also described equipment requests for maintenance (two trucks, a dump truck with plow and other trade-ins) and explained constraints on shifting appropriations into equipment lines absent a health-and-safety finding.

Procedurally, the board moved and seconded the motion to bring the proposed budget to the table for action; during a roll-call-style affirmation the transcript recorded at least two named 'yes' votes ("Mister Marshall — yes" and "Mister Martin — yes") and the chair declared the ayes had it. The board also approved the Fredonia Central School District property tax report card for the proposed 2026–27 budget and approved a resolution to bring a capital outlay project to the table. The district set a budget hearing on May 5 and scheduled the public vote for May 19, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the high-school cafeteria.

The board will receive an updated fund-balance report next week; the presenter described preliminary fund-balance estimates in the neighborhood of $6.5 million and said unassigned fund balance appears to be around 2.2–2.3% (figures Mr. Forbes characterized as preliminary and subject to the next financial dashboard). The board adjourned with the next regular meeting set for April 28, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the high-school library.