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Salem Central proposes 2026–27 budget with 2.65% tax levy; district plans to use reserves to smooth costs
Summary
Superintendent Julie Collier presented a proposed 2026–27 budget that increases overall spending 3.69% while limiting the tax levy to the district's 2.65% cap; the plan preserves positions, adds pre-K capacity and relies on fund balance and state aid to cover remaining costs.
Salem Central School District Superintendent Julie Collier outlined the district’s proposed 2026–27 budget on Tuesday, saying the district will seek a tax levy increase equal to its tax-cap limit of 2.65% and is proposing an overall spending increase of 3.69%.
Collier said the district used a multi-month, collaborative process to build the proposal, asking teachers and building leaders for supply and staffing needs and publishing a line-by-line “budget book” online so taxpayers can review the plan. “For our calculation for this year, our tax levy limit was 2.65%, and that’s what we’re proposing,” she said.
The budget is structured in three state-required components: program (instruction, transportation, activities), capital (facilities and bus purchases) and administrative (leadership, legal and BOCES services). Collier said the program component is the largest and remains the district’s priority, representing more than 70% of spending.
Key program additions in the proposal include funding to replace retiring teachers, five additional BOCES career-and-technical-education slots (bringing enrollment to 33 students), a second pre-K classroom supported in part by additional per-student grant dollars, and funding for new high-school science labs and athletic teams.
On benefits and operating costs, Collier noted some relief in health-insurance inflation after changes to the consortium’s plan, which she said brought premium increases down to roughly 4.7% from double-digit levels seen earlier: “We bought Anthem use Anthem products… it really was almost no noticeable change to our employees and their providers,” she said.
The district projects state aid and local revenues will not fully cover the proposed spending, so the plan calls for appropriating part of the district’s fund balance to close the gap. Collier gave an example conservative scenario in which the district would need about $709,000 from reserves if every budgeted dollar were spent; she emphasized that the board built contingencies for uncertain items such as utilities and special-education costs.
Collier also warned that final state-aid numbers could shift until the state budget is finalized. “It could go up or it could go down,” she said, but added that major changes were not anticipated and the district has included contingencies to manage modest shifts in aid.
The proposed budget and two other propositions will appear on the May 19 ballot; the basic budget requires a simple majority to pass. Absent a passage on first vote, Collier said the board could hold a second vote in June, make budget adjustments or move to a contingency budget that imposes additional spending restrictions.
Board members who asked questions during the hearing praised the presentation’s transparency and the addition of a glossary in the budget book, with one committee member saying the extra detail “increases their confidence” in how tax dollars are being used.
The district posted the full budget book and report-card details online and listed a contact for voters with follow-up questions. If the budget is approved, the district said it will implement the plan and continue to monitor costs and aid levels.
