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Victor Central School District non-personnel budget rises as special-education costs climb
Summary
District staff told the board the 2026-27 non-personnel budget would rise driven largely by a 30.4% increase ($579,212) in pupil services, citing higher contractual services for special-education supports and a $1.59 million tuition line for out-of-district placements.
A district staff member told the Victor Central School District board on Feb. 26 that the district—s proposed 2026-27 non-personnel budget would rise largely because of growing special-education costs and out-of-district tuition.
The presenter said non-personnel spending across departments increases by $797,664 (about 9.35% versus 2025-26), but that sum represents roughly 7% of the overall 2025-26 budget; the pupil services non-personnel budget alone is projected to increase 30.4%, or $579,212.
The presenter attributed much of the change to special-education contractual services and tuition. "The student-with-disabilities contractual services line—s increasing by $56,657," the presenter said, describing the line as covering outside contractors for home instruction, home hospital instruction, partial-hospitalization tutoring and a contracted behavioral technician. The district budget proposes $390,000 for that contractual-services line in 2026-27, which the presenter described as a conservative estimate compared with a three-year average of about $449,000 and 2024-25 actuals of $398,000.
Out-of-district tuition for students with disabilities was presented at $1,586,555, covering 18 students placed in private programs plus smaller amounts for charter tuition, foster-care placements and students in other districts; the presenter said that line rises about $485,555 from the prior year (2024-25 actuals for that line were $1,462,554).
The presenter also flagged a roughly $40,000 increase in the health services non-personnel line, explaining that other districts can bill Victor for health-related services (nursing, school physician, substitute nurses) provided to privately placed students. A small $3,000 shift in supplies was described as moving counselor-line funds into building-based budgets.
Officials acknowledged remaining uncertainties. The presenter said final BOCES numbers were not yet available and noted two personnel contracts are still under negotiation. Health insurance was described as an "X factor": staff had planned a 15% increase earlier but said they had just received final rate data and would re-run plan-by-plan estimates.
When a board member asked what qualifies as a "textbook" for the state aid category, a staff member addressed as Christine explained that instructional material aid (IMA) comprises four components: library materials, software, hardware and textbook. "Some textbooks could now be considered software," Christine said, and the district can flex dollars among the software, hardware and textbook components when appropriate. Christine also said the state pays textbook/IMA aid on a per-pupil basis and cited a $58.25 per-pupil figure for the textbook component (library aid is roughly $6); she said the formula and current amounts are published by the state.
Looking ahead, staff said the board would revisit revenues, the tax-cap calculation and BOCES figures at the next meeting; the tax-cap submission is due the day after the Feb. 26 meeting. Personnel updates are scheduled for March 11, a budget workshop for March 26, budget adoption on April 16, a budget hearing on May 5 and the budget vote and election on May 19.
No formal motions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt.
