Unadilla Valley Central School District voters approved a $25.3 million budget for the 2024-25 school year on Tuesday, May 21, by a vote of 169 to 19
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 planning a tax levy increase of 4.45 percent and is budgeting for a 3.20 percent increase in overall state aid.
“This budget 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.
Voters also elected three incumbent board of education members, approved propositions to lease four school buses and opted to help fund the New Berlin and South New Berlin Libraries.
The 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 is 4.45 percent. The board of education chose to present a budget to voters 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 will 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 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
Incumbent board members Mark Davis, Carrie Meade and Debra Taranto were elected to the three open seats with vote totals of 143, 136, 142 respectively. Davis and Meade were running for re-election. Taranto, who was appointed to an unexpired term, was running for election. Challenger Samantha Kemnah received 82 votes.
School Bus Lease
A proposition 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 was approved by a vote of 164 to 21. The lease is reimbursable 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 request for a total tax levy of $53,000, which is a $1,500 increase from the $51,500 previously authorized by voters, was approved by a vote of 69 to 6 . The New Berlin Library requested a total tax levy of $84,000, which is a $5,000 increase from the current tax levy authorized by voters. Voters approved the request by a vote of 102 to 12.