Camden Central School District projects $3.7–$3.8 million 2026–27 budget gap; administrators set adoption timeline

Administrators for the Camden Central School District told the Board at a March 24 budget workshop that initial projections for the 2026–27 budget show a $3.7–$3.8 million deficit and that they are pursuing line-by-line expenditure reductions to present a balanced plan.

Mrs. Jones, Assistant Superintendent for Business, outlined the next steps and calendar for the budget process: "the Budget Committee meeting on April 14, the Board meeting for budget adoption on April 21, the public hearing on May 12, and the budget vote on May 19." The administrative team said final state funding is still unknown and that revised revenue estimates — together with a reduction in projected state aid (from over 3% to about 1%) — have lowered expected income.

Superintendent Mr. Evangelist and Interim Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Mrs. Szczerba joined Mrs. Jones in describing actions already taken: significant expenditure cuts across departments and ongoing line-by-line adjustments. The District indicated it will continue refining projections and may schedule additional workshops for stakeholder input; administrators also plan to use Forecast5 software to strengthen long-range financial planning and in-house forecasting.

District officials expressed appreciation to board members, Budget Committee members, administrators and staff for their collaboration during a difficult budgeting cycle. The next formal step on the calendar is the Budget Committee meeting on April 14, followed by board adoption on April 21, a public hearing on May 12 and the budget vote on May 19.