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Chappaqua board approves Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES administrative budget amid dispute over funding formula
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Summary
The Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education approved the Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES tentative administrative budget for 2026—627, $12,679,000, after trustees discussed concerns that the BOCES funding formula (a statutory 50/50 split of true valuation and daily attendance) disadvantages Chappaqua.
The Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education voted on April 21 to approve the Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES tentative administrative budget for the 2026—627 school year in the amount of $12,679,000.
Board members spent the meeting's substantive discussion on the BOCES funding formula and how it affects Chappaqua's allocation. Josh, a district staff presenter, said the law gives BOCES three standard funding methods and that Putnam Northern Westchester is uniquely specified in statute to use a split of "50% true valuation and 50% daily attendance," a formula he described as written into law over time. "Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES is now 50% true valuation and 50% daily attendance," Josh said.
The board chair framed the district's position as a protest against the calculation rather than against BOCES services. "It's it's about the formula," the chair said, urging trustees that a no vote has historically been used to signal concern while the district continues to partner with BOCES. Trustees also heard that changing the funding method would require legislative action: Dr. Ackerman, the superintendent, and other board members said the formula is embedded in state law and that multiple districts would have to agree to pursue a change.
The board then moved the resolution that "whereas the Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Putnam Northern Westchester County (BOCES) has proposed its tentative administrative budget for 26—627 school year, 07/01/2026 through 06/30/2027" and resolved that the budget "in the amount of $12,679,000 be and hereby is approved by the Board of Education of the Chappaqua Central School District." The chair made the motion and a trustee seconded; the transcript records a voice vote. The record does not include a numeric roll-call tally.
Trustees also discussed advocacy options beyond the vote. When asked for a dollar estimate of how much the formula costs Chappaqua compared with a different allocation, staff said they had not calculated a district-by-district comparison and that such an analysis would require reviewing formulas across all 18 component districts. Board members described the no vote as a formal means to send a message to BOCES and to legislators but emphasized that securing statutory change would be more complex than a single district action.
The approval does not change the board's stated intention to consider advocacy steps: trustees signaled they may pair the vote with further outreach if the board determines broader legislative effort is warranted. The board also separately cast its vote for a BOCES board candidate during the meeting.
The superintendent and staff underscored that BOCES provides services the district uses, including safety and security consulting, special-education services and professional learning, and that the district's concerns are limited to how administrative costs are allocated under the statutory formula.
The board approved the BOCES administrative budget and proceeded with other routine business. The district will hold a public budget hearing on May 6 and a budget vote and election on May 19.
