2025-26 Budget Information

2025-26 School Budget Overview

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. 

May 20, 2025 Voting Results

On May 20, 2025, Catskill Central School District voters approved the 2025-26 school budget 565 yes to 264 no and elected Patti Dushane, Tracy Darling, and Junait Shah to the Board of Education.

Documents

Presentations

Property Tax Cap Information

Catskill’s allowable tax levy increase for 2025 was 3.98%.