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Board hears budget update: UPK funding surge and hold-harmless boost could help district
Summary
Business official Bartlett told trustees the 2026–27 state budget proposals include a 2% hold-harmless increase (roughly $130,000 for the district) and a proposed UPK per-pupil rise from about $5,400 to nearly $10,000; he reviewed foundation-aid weighting changes, A/Q backlog issues, capital thresholds and next budget timeline dates.
Mr. Bartlett, the district's budget presenter, gave a detailed briefing on the state one-house budget proposals and the district's structural 2026–27 budget. He said both the Assembly and Senate rejected the executive's 1% hold-harmless proposal and moved to a 2% level that would translate to about $130,000 more for the district under current calculations. "For our district, that would mean essentially another $130,000 in addition to what was proposed under the executive budget," Bartlett said.
Bartlett highlighted a substantial proposed increase to UPK per-pupil funding (from roughly $5,400 currently to nearly $10,000), changes to foundation-aid weightings for English language learners and foster placements, and the long-running A/Q backlog of prior-year aid claims (he said the district has four outstanding A/Q claims that could remain unpaid for 15–20 years under some scenarios). He also covered proposals touching zero-emission buses, a Senate suggestion to raise the annual capital project threshold from $100,000 to $250,000, and a state initiative to provide bonus payments for districts buying 30%+ food from New York providers.
On district budgets, Bartlett said the consortium finalized a health-insurance increase of 10% that materially affects next year's numbers and that, absent offsets, the instructional budget shows a year-over-year decrease of about $1.1 million (approximately 3.06%). He outlined planned next steps and dates: a follow-up presentation on April 6, finance work ahead of an April 20 'pencil down' meeting, and the budget hearing process in May.
