The Unadilla Valley CSD Business Office is continuing its work on the 2024-25 school budget.
As is typical in planning the school district’s next fiscal year, there remain a number of unknowns with budget planning at this stage. The largest unknown is on the revenue side. Under Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget proposal released in January, Unadilla Valley CSD is slated for an increase in state aid. Statewide, Gov. Hochul’s proposal would include a 2.4 percent increase in state aid, compared to the roughly 7.7 percent increases seen in the past two years.
In her budget address, Hochul said,”As much as we may want to, we’re not going to be able to replicate the massive increases of the last two years.”
Under New York State law, a state budget must be adopted by April 1, which is the start of the state’s fiscal year. However, it is not known when the state budget will actually be adopted by the New York State Legislature, as any number of issues unrelated to state education aid may remain under negotiation past April 1. This year, due to a proposed change in the way state aid is calculated, education funding itself may be one of the issues the legislature grapples with late in the process. Gov. Hochul is proposing a measure to end the longtime “hold harmless” practice, which prevents schools from receiving less state aid than the previous year. Under the executive budget proposal, some school districts in the region would see reductions in state aid.
“While our school district, just like all area school districts, faces uncertainties, financial planning is a multi-year process we undertake in close consultation with our district’s financial advisors. The goal is stability, not just from one year to the next, but also over the long run,” School Business Official Luke Willson said.
A Board of Education Budget Workshop is slated for March 25; a vote by the BOE to put forth a proposed budget to voters is expected to be held on April 22; a public hearing on the proposed budget is set for May 7; and the public vote on the budget will be May 21. School district fiscal years begin July 1.
In addition to the school budget, voters are slated to select three candidates to fill three seats on the school board currently held by Mark Davis, Carrie Meade and Debra Taranto.
Because Chenango County Board of Elections is no longer contracting its voting machines out for use in school districts, the voting this year will be by paper ballot. In addition, voters may request an absentee ballot or an early-voting ballot. Please see the district website for more information on the budget planning process, the school board elections and how to vote.