Miss Green outlines FY27 budget update and proposes salary step increases for eligible staff

Miss Green, a district staff member, told the Albany County School District #1 Board of Trustees that the FY27 budget document has been posted ahead of next week’s hearing and that she revised the budget narrative to clarify funds, functions and revenues.

The update centered on state recalibration and local budget choices that affect staffing costs and facilities funding. Miss Green said the district has about $2,100,000 remaining in a “silo” after recent reallocations and proposed giving two additional salary steps to employees who have been with the district two years or more. "Everybody that has been here for 2 years is going to get 2 steps," she said. Employees with one year of service would receive one step; those hired this year would receive no extra steps beyond their placement for experience at hire.

Miss Green explained accounting mechanics—why some expenditures initially post to a single account and later are corrected with journal entries—and warned trustees that a state model released July 1 (the 100A model) requires certification while other reports may still be under correction, complicating final revenue estimates. She said a potential legislative change to athletic funding could alter calculations but will not be settled until the legislative session in March.

Trustees pressed for details. Mr. Cowper, a trustee, agreed the step approach matched the intent to restore stepped increases for longer-tenured employees. Trustee Janice Marshall asked whether a reported 4% increase from the school facilities office applied to general expenses; Miss Green clarified the 4% referred to state major maintenance funding separate from the general fund. Miss Green estimated the step changes would increase the district average salary by roughly $200–$500 per affected position but said she had not recalculated the districtwide average precisely.

Miss Green said the district expects to use roughly $880,000 of cash reserves and to place $1,300,000 into a silo to support the step changes, while noting some ongoing uncertainty in state funding calculations. The board was informed that the FY27 budget document will be available for review before the formal hearing next week.

Next steps: the budget hearing is scheduled for the board’s meeting next week when trustees will have the posted FY27 budget document and narrative for formal consideration.