For more information on the proposed budget, please see our Budget page.
Unadilla Valley Central School District will present a $25.3 million proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year to voters on Tuesday, May 21.
The fiscal plan includes an overall 5.24 percent increase in expenditures - or $1.3 million - from the current year. Under state law, it must be a balanced budget. To accomplish this, the district is proposing a tax levy increase of 4.45 percent and is budgeting for a 3.20 percent increase in overall state aid.
“The proposal is designed to help the district provide better opportunities for students both inside and outside the classroom, while being financially responsible stewards for the communities we serve,” Superintendent Brenton Taylor said.
A public hearing on the budget proposal will be held immediately following the 6 p.m. regular meeting of the board of education on Tuesday, May 7.
Three board of education seats will also be on the ballot, along with propositions to lease four school buses and help fund the New Berlin and South New Berlin Libraries. Voting is scheduled from noon to 8 p.m., on Tuesday, May 21, in Storm Alley at the district office entrance of the school building.
The proposed 4.45 percent change in the tax levy meets the state’s tax levy limit. In dollars, the tax levy would increase by $211,300 to be spread across all taxable parcels in the district, based on assessments and equalization rates in individual towns. These rates are set in the summer and will widely vary from town to town.
Chobani PILOT
A previously existing 10-year Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with Chobani that allowed the company to make set payments to the school district instead of taxes on its assessed property has ended. PILOTs are economic development tools designed to encourage growth and commercial investment in a region.
Chobani has had several PILOTs that have expired. The end of the company’s final PILOT means that all of Chobani’s properties within the school district are now on the tax rolls and subject to the taxation formula used throughout the district. This is reflected for the first time in a proposed school district budget. What this means is that a little less than half of the proposed increase in the tax levy - which is the overall dollar amount raised by taxes across the entire district - is directly related to Chobani fully joining the tax rolls.
Without factoring in Chobani or growth in real property values elsewhere in the district, the tax levy would increase by 2.05 percent. This figure is below the 10-year average for tax levy increases in the district. With taxes on Chobani and new growth factored, the increase in the tax levy from the current year is 4.45 percent, or $211,300. The amount Chobani paid under the expiring PILOT and what it will pay under newly levied taxes can't be exactly calculated until individual town tax rates are set over the summer. It is expected to be roughly the same.
Tax Levy Limit
The tax levy limit, while sometimes referred to as a “2 percent tax cap,” is set through a state-mandated formula and will often be higher or lower than 2 percent based on the individual circumstances of each district. It is a unique figure for each school district. For the 2024-25 school year, Unadilla Valley’s tax levy limit of 4.45 percent. The board of education is choosing to present a budget that matches this limit to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of our students.
Revenues and Expenditures
Approximately 20 cents of every dollar spent by the district comes from property taxes. The bulk of the district’s funding - 70 cents of every dollar - comes from state aid. The remainder comes from reserves, fund balances and other items, such as interest on the district’s accounts and tuition paid by other districts for special education students enrolled in Unadilla Valley programs.
Staffing levels and programs would be maintained under the proposed budget, which will support the district’s efforts to continually update curriculum and instruction, as well as its extra-curricular activities, to best position the district in a constantly evolving world.
One of the biggest areas of fiscal pressure on the district are employee salaries and benefits. Contractual health insurance costs are budgeted to rise $449,000 next year, while salaries and wages are expected to increase by $420,000. Employer retirement contributions are also anticipated to rise $145,000 next year.
A $140,000 increase projected for the Transportation Department is largely due to inflationary costs of materials and supplies to maintain the district’s fleet of buses and other vehicles.
The district continues to enhance its technology services, including network security. Robust technology services help make learning more accessible, efficient and relevant in our ever-changing world. In addition to growth in what the district adds in terms of technology services, the actual devices, equipment and contractual costs are subject to inflationary pressure. The district is also adding services to protect student and family data and privacy and is including a $100,000 Capital Outlay Project for flooring upgrades in the school building.
“This proposed budget is about sustaining our staffing levels and programming in an uncertain economic climate. We will continue to look at ways to improve how we deliver academic and student support services, as we always do. The district will also continue to strengthen our connections with our community,” Mr. Taylor said.
Board of Education Election
There will be three open seats on the board of education. They include seats currently held by Mark Davis, Carrie Meade and Debra Taranto. Davis and Meade are running for re-election. Taranto, who was appointed to an unexpired term, is running for election.Samantha Kemnah is also running. The top three vote-getters are elected to the seats.
School Bus Lease
A proposition is on the ballot to authorize the lease of four school buses at a maximum estimated total annual cost not to exceed $110,000 for each of five years. The lease would be reimbursible by state aid at a rate of 90 percent.
Library Propositions
New York State law allows public libraries to use the occasion of a school budget vote to seek public funding. The South New Berlin Library is seeking a total tax levy of $53,000, which is a $1,500 increase from the $51,500 previously approved by voters. The library operates independently from the school district. The New Berlin Library is seeking a total tax levy of $84,000, which is a $5,000 increase from the current tax levy authorized by voters.