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Superintendent outlines 2026–27 budget refinements; TRS rate lowers projected cost, vehicle proposition planned for May
Summary
Superintendent Smith presented the fourth budget session: TRS employer rate finalized at 8.24% eased projections, the draft tax-levy increase was cited at about 2.17%, and the board was briefed on a May proposition to purchase buses from a vehicle reserve.
Superintendent Smith gave the board an update on 2026–27 budget development, describing incremental changes to revenues and expenditures and next steps for the district's three‑part budget presentation.
Key drivers highlighted included a finalized Teachers' Retirement System (TRS) employer rate of 8.24 percent, which the superintendent said reduced previously projected costs, and position breakage and lower‑than‑expected retiree‑benefit obligations. The superintendent reported a proposed tax‑levy increase of roughly 2.17 percent as the draft levy calculation under the state cap. The meeting transcript also cited a draft budget figure rendered in the audio as "58,51,273"; the formatting in the transcript was unclear and the administration did not provide a conventional dollar figure during the public discussion.
The superintendent described ongoing work to finalize the BOCES budget submission, scheduled for March 20, and said administration and the business office are completing line‑by‑line reviews to balance revenues and expenditures. She said the draft would be presented as a three‑part budget at the April 21 meeting, followed by a public budget hearing on May 12 and a budget vote on May 19.
Separately, the board previewed a May proposition to use the district's vehicle reserve to purchase four 66‑passenger diesel buses and two 30‑passenger diesel buses (one wheelchair‑lift equipped) and to surplus two smaller buses. The administration characterized the purchases as coming from a reserve fund rather than financed in the general fund budget; details of the proposition (exact dollar amounts and financing schedule) will be included in the official proposition materials.
The superintendent reiterated advocacy priorities for the district—foundation‑aid increases, pupil‑needs indexing for ELL and students experiencing homelessness, capital‑outlay cap increases, and special‑education funding—and summarized state one‑house budget proposals affecting those items.
Next steps: administration will finalize BOCES submissions, complete the three‑part budget for April 21, publish formal proposition language for the vehicle purchase, and present the appropriation and reserve details at subsequent public meetings.
