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Draft $16.4M budget presented; district says transportation purchases drive most of the increase
Summary
Board staff presented a draft 2025–26 budget of about $16.4 million and said transportation purchases — chiefly new buses — account for the bulk of the proposed increase; removing those purchases would lower the increase to roughly 1.95 percent, the presentation said.
Board members reviewed the proposed 2025–26 Boquet Valley Central School District budget as staff walked the board through administrative, program and capital lines. Hayden (staff member) told the board the draft total is about $16,400,000, but cautioned the figure could change because final state aid numbers were not yet available.
Hayden said much of the headline 5.24 percent budget increase is explained by planned transportation and equipment purchases, and that without those items the operating increase would be smaller. "We're looking at 16,400,000," Hayden said during the presentation. The board discussed the tax-levy mechanics and equalization rates across the district's towns; the packet showed a projected tax-levy increase of about 3.08 percent in the current draft.
The presentation broke down program lines: instruction reductions were attributed mainly to BOCES coding and five-year averaging for certain career-technical costs, while special-education spending showed only minimal increases tied to placements. Administrative costs reflected benefit increases, with Hayden noting a roughly 4.5 percent average rise in health insurance costs and plan-specific differences affecting some lines.
Board members asked for clarification about timing and next steps. Staff said final TRS (Teacher Retirement System) and ERS (Employee Retirement System) rates typically arrive in late February to March and the district will make adjustments when the definitive rates are released. The board scheduled further work sessions and expects to vote the budget at the April 29 meeting referenced in the presentation.
