Unadilla Valley Central School District voters on Tuesday approved a $28.5 million budget for the 2026-27 school year by a vote of 126 to 27.
The fiscal plan includes an overall 3.28 percent increase in expenditures - or $905,600 - from the current year. The budget will preserve current staffing levels, educational programming and extracurricular activities. Increases in health insurance costs and utilities expenses create stress on the budget proposal that the district is monitoring closely.
Vicky Gregory, Carrie Meade, and Dan Naughton, who were running unopposed, were re-elected to the Board of Education. A proposal to lease three, non-electric school buses was also approved by a vote of 132 to 21. A district-wide proposition to help fund both the New Berlin and South New Berlin public libraries was approved by a vote of 143 to 10.
Under state law, a school district’s budget must be balanced. To accomplish this, the district proposed a tax levy increase of 2.23 percent and is budgeting for an increase in state Foundation Aid, which is the largest category of state aid. The budget was approved by the Board of Education on April 20 to be put to public vote. At that time, there was no state budget in place, so the district is being cautious in estimating state aid based on earlier projections. Expense-driven aids, which are categories of state aid that the district cannot control, are decreasing. These aid categories fluctuate from year-to-year based on actual expenses incurred by the district.
The proposed 2.23 percent change in the tax levy meets the state’s tax levy limit. In dollars, the tax levy would increase by $113,494 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 vary from town to town.
“Under this budget proposal, Unadilla Valley will maintain all current programming and staffing levels. All schools face a difficult environment financially. For many, including UV, the employer contribution costs for health insurance are creating strain, but we are able to weather it without cuts to programming,” Superintendent Dr. Brenton S. Taylor said. “Just as we have all seen our own utilities costs increase dramatically over the past year in our homes, schools face the same challenge. We continually look at ways to increase energy efficiency, whether it is through our day-to-day operations or, on a larger scale, through capital improvements.”
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 and the consumer price index. It is a unique figure for each school district. For the 2026-27 school year, Unadilla Valley’s tax levy limit is 2.23 percent, which is lower than last year. 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. Proposed school budgets at or below the tax levy limit only need a simple majority to pass. Those that are above the limit need a supermajority vote of 60 percent plus one vote.
Revenues and Expenditures
Under the budget proposal, 18 cents of every dollar projected to be spent by the district would come from property taxes. The bulk of the district’s funding - 68 cents of every dollar - would come from state aid. The remainder is derived 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. The district’s share of employee health benefits is projected to be up 18.95 percent - nearly $800,000 - from the current year. Utilities costs over the last four months have also doubled from the previous six months. The district is budgeting for increased fuel costs for the bus fleet. In terms of expenditures, all current programming will be maintained. An increase in the use of reserves is projected to alleviate the pressure.
Enrollment
Enrollment figures at UV are showing stability over the last decade. Between the 2015-16 school year and the 2025-26 school year, total public school enrollment in Chenango County declined 9.54 percent. In Otsego County, enrollment dropped 11.25 percent. At Unadilla Valley we have just one less student than we did in 2015-16. Stable enrollment helps a district maintain programming and access state aid.
Board of Education Election
There were three open seats on the board of education. They include seats currently held by Vicky Gregory, Carrie Meade, and Dan Naughton. All three were re-elected to three-year terms that begin July 1, 2026.
Capital Outlay Project
The district is including within the proposed budget a $100,000 Capital Outlay Project for door upgrades within the school building.
Propositions
Voters authorized the lease of three school buses at a maximum estimated total annual cost not to exceed $110,000 for each of the five years. The lease would be reimbursable by state aid at a rate of 90 percent.
New York State law allows public libraries to use the occasion of a school budget vote to seek public funding. Under a new arrangement this year, the New Berlin and South New Berlin libraries had their funding request on one ballot proposition that was open for voting to all district residents. Voters approved a total tax levy of $144,680, which is a $6,090 increase from the current year. The libraries operate independently from the school district, and their budgeting and requests for funding are unrelated to the school district's operations.