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Fairport board adopts $172.29 million 2026–27 budget after presentations on health insurance, staffing and reserves
Summary
The board unanimously approved a $172,287,859 2026–27 budget (7-0). Presenters said health insurance increases (about $2.5M) and special-education placement costs drove spending growth while attrition and other reductions helped balance the plan; the administration proposed two voter propositions for bus-purchase authorization and a capital reserve creation.
The Fairport Central School District Board of Education unanimously approved the 2026–27 budget in the amount of $172,287,859 after a detailed presentation from the superintendent and the district business official on revenue drivers, staffing changes and reserve use.
Superintendent Provenzano and business official Jeremy Nerdown outlined how the budget balances program and capital needs while responding to recent enrollment and cost pressures. Nerdown summarized primary cost drivers, noting health insurance increases and special-education placement costs as major factors.
"Health insurance is the big one…we're budgeting a $2.5 million increase," Nerdown said, describing recent monthly bill trends and how attrition reduced projected costs. He added that early-month billing showed monthly health-insurance payments declining from larger early estimates, and that the district has adjusted its forecast accordingly.
Administrators said the 2026–27 instructional program budget rose from approximately $123 million to about $127 million, driven partly by BOCES and non-BOCES special-education placements and contractual increases. The presentation listed 23 staffing adjustments (mainly attrition), including several repurposed roles and five positions eliminated during budget development. Officials emphasized they used attrition where possible to minimize layoffs.
The capital plan includes bus purchases (seven large and two small buses planned) with a net bus purchase cost near $1.8 million; administrators proposed using about $185,000 from bus-purchase reserves and asked voters to authorize a capital reserve (ballot language would open a capital reserve up to a $25 million cap for future projects). The board was told the capital reserve creation does not immediately deposit funds but creates a vehicle for returning surplus funds to taxpayers in future years.
On revenue, Nerdown said the budget uses a 1% foundation-aid assumption while highlighting uncertainty in final state aid. The administration said projected total aid increases to about $56.5 million (a 5.34% increase) and that the tax levy increase tied to the tax cap calculation would be about 3.3%.
After discussion, the board moved and approved the budget 7–0. The board also approved related consent items, policy second readings, internal audit acceptances, personnel actions, extracurricular activities, Monroe 1 BOCES votes, and motioned to enter executive session.
Next steps: public outreach events were announced (community budget forums and a May 5 public hearing) and the formal district budget vote and school board election are scheduled for May 19 at the John F. Kennedy Middle School gymnasium from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
