Budget Information

2024-24 Budget

Development of the 2024-25 school year budget is currently underway. Information pertaining to the budget will be posted hear as it becomes available.

Budget Presentations

2024-2025 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR

11/1/23 Budget Calendar presented for Board of Education approval
12/6/23 BOE Meeting – Long Range Plan Presentation
11/1/23 – 1/24 Superintendent of Schools – Review of all detailed budget requests with all supervisors. Development preliminary budget.
1/24/24 BOE Meeting – Budget Workshop –  Presentation of Tap Cap History
2/7/24 BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting
2/28/24 BOE Meeting –Budget Workshop: State Aid & Revenue Presentation; Review first draft of 2024 – 2025 budget expenditures; Financial Literacy presentation
3/1/24 Submit 2024-2025 calculation for tax levy limit to NYS Office of State Comptroller
3/13/24 BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting – Follow up to budget workshop
3/27/24 Budget Workshop
4/2-4/6 Advertise 1st Legal Notice 45 days prior to vote
4/9/24 BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting – review budget & adopt budget (Tuesday)
4/22/24 Last date for submitting petitions requesting that a proposition be placed on the ballot
Last date for filing petitions for School Board membership
4/23/24 BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting (Tuesday)
4/26/24 Last day for BOE to adopt budget and Property Tax Report Card
4/29/24 Final date for submission of Property Tax Report Card to SED
5/1/24 Budget statement and require attachments available at each building
5/8/24 BOE Meeting – Budget Hearing
5/9/24 – 5/15/24 Budget Notice mailed to eligible voters
5/21/24 ANNUAL BUDGET VOTE & BOARD ELECTION 1:00–9:00 p.m. CHS gym

Property Tax Cap Information

Contrary to popular belief, the NYS Property Tax Cap does not cap tax increases at 2 percent. Instead, public schools must use a state formula each year to determine the amount they can increase their tax levies by without having to seek a higher percentage of voter approval for the budget. This threshold is usually different each year and may be above or below 2%. The district must determine its tax cap number and submit it to the state by March 1st of each year.

If the year-to-year increase of the District’s tax levy (portion of the school budget funded by property tax) is at or below the number determined by the formula (the “cap”), a simple majority (50% + 1) of voter approval is needed to pass the budget. If the District puts before voters a budget that carries a tax levy increase above the number determined by the formula, a super majority (60%) of voter approval is needed for the budget to pass.

What is a Tax Levy?

The tax levy is the dollar amount that is raised by annual property tax to fund the budget. It provides a portion of the total funding for the budget; the other major source of funding comes from state aid.

What is Fund Balance?

Fund balance is a reserve similar to a savings account; when District expenses are less than expected, or revenues are higher than projected, money remaining at the end of the year is held in the fund balance. The District utilizes fund balance each year as revenue in the budget to minimize spending cuts and hold down tax increases.

Voter Qualifications

To be eligible to vote you must be:
• A citizen of the United States 18 years of age or older
• A resident of the Catskill Central School District for a period of 30 days or more directly preceding the date of the vote
• Registered to vote with either the School District or the Greene County Board of Elections

Voter Registration

You must be registered with either the County Board of Elections or the Catskill Central School District to vote on the School Budget and Board of Education Election. The voters of the District have approved a system of walk-in voter registration, available Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on days when the District Offices at the District Clerk’s Office, 343 West Main Street, Catskill, NY.

Absentee Ballots

Applications for absentee ballots may be applied for at the Office of the Board Clerk, 343 West Main Street, Catskill, New York. Applications for absentee ballots must be received by the Board Clerk at least seven (7) days prior to the election and vote if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election if the ballot will be picked up personally by the voter at the Office of the Board Clerk.

Current Year’s Budget

The 2023-24 school year budget totales $49,888,670 and carried a tax levy increase of 2%, which was under the District’s 2023 NYS tax cap of 3.52%. The budget is up a total of $1,312,669, a 2.7% increase from the 2022-23 budget, largely due to inflation and contractual obligations. The District sought efficiency measures and applied $3,576,422 in fund balance to reduce the impact of year-to-year cost increases on the tax levy. School officials focused on keeping the tax levy increase at 2% while ensuring that students would have the appropriate level of faculty and staff in each building based on need and student enrollment. More 2023-24 Budget Information…