Budget Vote & Board Election is Tuesday, May 20 from 1:00–9:00 p.m. in the CHS gym.
2025-26 School Budget Overview
The Catskill Central School District Board of Education adopted the proposed budget for the 2025-2026 school year at its April 22 meeting. The school budget totals $49,619,679 and carries a 2 percent tax levy increase, which is under the allowable 3.98 percent tax levy increase set by the NYS property tax cap. Spending is up a total of $188,682, a 0.38 percent increase from the 2024-25 budget. The District sought efficiency measures and applied $2,896,629 in fund balance and $739,971 in reserves to offset year-to-year cost increases and hold the tax levy increase below the cap.
The budget includes no layoffs and no loss of student programs. School officials sought efficiency measures to close a $1.8 million budget gap caused by an unexpectedly steep increase in health insurance and prescription plan premiums, inflation, and other annual cost drivers. The District reduced building budgets by approximately 15% to match our schools’ declining student enrollment and actual three-year spending averages, eliminated funding for unutilized programs and supplies, and maximized state aid by purchasing computer equipment through Questar III BOCES (Catskill CSD is entitled to a 44.6% return in state aid for every dollar it spends though BOCES).
Budget highlights include increasing the number of pre-k classrooms from three to four, lengthening the pre-k school day to align it with the regular elementary school schedule, the addition of transportation for our pre-k students, and the addition of one English as a new language teacher to support increased need in those areas.
You can learn more at our next Donuts with Dr. Dan May 14. Dr. Wilson and our assistant superintendent for business, Dr. Miller, will be available on the lawn outside the superintendent’s office between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for folks to drop by and ask any questions they have about the school budget.
Our budget newsletter is mailed out in May.
Documents
- CCSD 2025-26 General Fund Budget & Required NYS Information
- Legal Notice of 2025 Budget Vote
- Catskill CSD – Long Range Financial Analysis – January 22, 2025
Presentations
- Budget Presentation #6 – April 22, 2025
- Budget Presentation #5 – April 1, 2025
- Budget Presentation #4 – March 19, 2025
- Budget Presentation #3 – March 5, 2025
- Budget Presentation #2 – February 26 2025
- Budget Presentation #1 – February 5, 2025
2025-2026 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT CALENDAR
| 11/6/24 | Budget Calendar presented for Board of Education approval |
| 12/4/4 | BOE Meeting – Long Range Plan Presentation |
| 11/6/24 – 1/22/25 | Superintendent of Schools – Review of all detailed budget requests with all supervisors. Development of preliminary budget. |
| 1/22/25 | BOE Meeting – Budget Workshop |
| 2/5/25 | BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting |
| 2/26/25 | BOE Meeting –Budget Workshop |
| 3/1/25 | Submit 2025-2026 calculation for tax levy limit to NYS Office of State Comptroller |
| 3/5/25 | BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting |
| 3/19/25 | BOE Meeting – Budget Workshop |
| 4/1/25 | BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting |
| 4/21/25 | Last date for submitting petitions requesting that a proposition be placed on the ballot Last date for filing petitions for School Board membership |
| 4/22/25 | BOE Meeting – Regular Meeting – adoption of budget and Property Tax Report Card |
| 4/23/25 | Last day for BOE to adopt budget and Property Tax Report Card |
| 4/28/25 | Final date for submission of Property Tax Report Card to SED |
| 5/1/25 | Budget statement and required attachments available at each building |
| 5/7/25 | BOE Meeting – Budget Hearing |
| 5/8/24 – 5/14/25 | Budget Notice mailed to voters |
| 5/20/24 | 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.
Catskill’s allowable tax levy increase for 2025 is 3.98%.
If the year-to-year increase of the District’s tax levy 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 Happens if Voters Do Not Approve the Budget?
If voters do not approve the budget proposal on May 20, the Board of Education has the following options: put the same budget or a revised budget up for vote on June 17, 2025, or adopt a contingency budget. If the budget proposition is again defeated on June 17, the Board must adopt a contingency budget. A contingency budget holds the tax levy increase at 0%, regardless of inflation, contractual obligations, and other cost increases incurred by the District. However, all state mandated programs, including those not funded by state aid, would need to be retained. A contingency budget also prevents spending on new equipment, except when concerning safety, and limits public use of District facilities. These regulations mean that the Board would need to cut an additional $414,835 from the current budget proposal. Cuts could potentially include program reductions in instructional and non-instructional areas, reductions in extracurricular programs and interscholastic sports programs, the elimination of all equipment purchases that are unrelated to safety, and reductions in BOCES services.
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.
Early Voting & Absentee Ballots
Applications for early voting by mail or absentee ballots may be applied for at the Office of the Board Clerk, 343 West Main Street, Catskill, New York. Applications for early voting/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.
Board of Education Election
The Catskill Central School District Board of Education election is held as part of the budget vote. Candidate information can be found on our 2025 Board Election page.