2022-23 Budget Information

2022-23 Budget Overview

On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, residents of the Catskill Central School District approved a $48,567,001 budget proposal for the 2022-23 school year. The budget carries a projected tax levy increase of 1.85 percent, which is under the allowable increase of 3.52 percent set by the NYS property tax cap. Spending is up a total of $2,523,728, a 5.48 percent increase from the current school year’s budget, largely the result of inflation, contractual obligations, increases in health and prescription drug insurance premiums, and debt service on the $40.8 million capital project that voters approved in 2019. The District applied $3,361,796 in fund balance to reduce the impact of cost increases on the tax levy.

“This budget offers a strong educational and support program for our students while remaining taxpayer friendly,” said Dr. Ronel Cook, Catskill’s superintendent of schools. “Despite the high rate of inflation we are seeing nationwide, our ongoing practice of careful long-term planning has allowed us to provide our students with what they need and keep the tax levy increase well under what the tax cap allows.” 

The budget includes no cuts to student programs. School officials focused on ensuring that students would have the appropriate level of teachers, support staff, social workers, guidance counselors and administrators in each building based on need and student enrollment. The District will also continue its current levels of extracurricular activities and athletics, maintain its summer school programs at the elementary and middle schools, maintain its Pre-K program, and continue to offer students additional learning opportunities through Questar III BOCES Career & Technical Education and Tech Valley High School programs, the Bard College Bridge Program, and other college in high school partnerships.

In response to reduced need, one special education teacher position, one reading teacher position, one science teacher position, four teaching assistant positions, and six teacher aide positions were eliminated from the budget. These reductions were achieved without layoffs following retirements and not filling positions that were vacant. 

Voters also approved a bond proposition for the purchase of operations and maintenance equipment and a small school bus. 

May 17, 2022 Voting Results:

Catskill Central School District 2022-23 Budget: PASSED 440 yes – 242 no
Operations and Maintenance and School Bus Purchases proposition: PASSED 415 yes – 255 no

Budget Documents

Budget Development Presentations

Property Tax Cap Information

For 2022, Catskill CSD’s maximum allowable tax levy increase was 3.52%.

Operations and Maintenance and School Bus Purchase Proposition

This proposition authorized the District to bond up to $400,000 over five years to purchase maintenance and grounds equipment and a small school bus. The annual costs of the bond have been built into the 2022-23 budget and therefore will not require the District to raise the tax levy above what is already proposed with the budget. 

Purchases will replace equipment that is worn out, not functioning, or near the end of its useful service life. Purchases will include a cargo van, F350 pickup truck, F450 dump truck, compact utility tractor with attachments, dual-axle trailer, scissor lift, two walk-behind snowblowers, two salt spreaders, and building maintenance equipment such as floor machines, spray-and-vac cleaning systems, vacuums, and pallet jacks. Also included is the addition of a 16-passenger school bus for field trips, after-school extracurricular activities, and other special-area student transportation needs that often can’t be met through the District’s contracted busing service. NYS aid will reimburse the District for 63.4% of the bus purchase cost.