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Rhinebeck board previews 2025–26 budget, highlights $155,000 security camera upgrade
Summary
Superintendent and the district's finance officer told the board the proposed $52.55 million budget would keep class sizes small, remain tax-cap compliant with a 2.37% levy increase, and include a one-time $155,000 video management system upgrade to improve school security.
Superintendent Dr. Lutinsky and Carolyn Mahar, the district's assistant superintendent for business and finance, outlined the Rhinebeck Union Free School District's proposed $52,548,411 budget for 2025–26 and emphasized continued tax-cap compliance and targeted security investments.
Dr. Lutinsky opened the presentation by stressing instructional priorities and scheduling: the administration will hold another budget discussion on April 22, a 9 a.m. session at Daniel Warren on May 7, and the district's budget and trustee election on May 20. He said the district aims to keep elementary class sizes near 20 students and noted that small shared‑staffing arrangements help preserve program offerings.
Mahar said the draft budget represents a 2.78% year‑over‑year spending increase and that the district's tax levy would rise 2.37%. "That $2.37, that's the tax levy," she said, describing property tax as the district's primary revenue source. Mahar said property tax remains just under 85% of projected revenue and that the administration plans to use appropriated fund balance and three reserve funds to remain tax‑cap compliant.
Administrators flagged enrollment shifts as important inputs to staffing and scheduling. Dr. Lutinsky noted the district's enrollment had changed by a handful of students since the last presentation and cited a Western Suffolk BOCES demographic study the district used to forecast longer‑term trends.
On safety and infrastructure, the administration described a layered approach: additional hired (unarmed) guards, fencing and door upgrades, locks that can be activated districtwide from a phone, and a new video management system intended to support preventative monitoring and alerts. Dr. Lutinsky emphasized that facial recognition was not part of the plan: "That was never in the plan," he said in response to community questions.
The VMS is budgeted as a one‑time cost of $155,000 with ongoing annual costs estimated at under $9,000. Mahar said the system's purpose is to provide better alerts and mobility for security personnel, not to replace human supervision.
Mahar also walked through state aid categories, noting modest foundation‑aid growth in the governor's estimates and a small year‑over‑year decline in the district's building‑aid rate. The administration reported roughly $500,000 in grant funding included in the proposed budget to support staffing and programming.
The administration said the budget maintains a transfer to capital that has funded past projects without issuing bonds, and cited specific near‑term projects such as the high‑school entrance security vestibule and electrical improvements for the middle/high school.
Next steps: the board will continue budget presentations in April and the district will present a legal notice for the May 20 vote. Residents can use the district's tax‑rate calculator on the website to estimate individual tax impacts based on assessed value.
