The annual School Budget Vote and Board of Education Election is May 21, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School gymnasium.
At its April 23 meeting, the Chatham Central School District Board of Education adopted a proposed budget for the 2024-25 school year. The budget totals $35,428,551 and carries a projected tax levy increase of 2.89 percent, which is under the District’s 3.1 percent limit set by New York State’s property tax cap. Spending is up a total of $1,056259, a 3.07 percent increase from the 2023-24 budget. The District’s conservative budgeting practices, long-term financial planning, and use of reserves and fund balance to offset year-to-year cost increases helped the District keep the tax levy under the cap.
Budget highlights include no cuts to student programming and the addition of Intro to Software Development, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Residential Maintenance & Repair electives at Chatham High School, Lab Aids Cells to Organisms and Fields & Interactions science classes at Chatham Middle School, as well as funding for the new CMS robotics team. Also included in the budget are bus replacement purchases and a small capital project to install exterior security cameras on campus.
In addition to the budget, the Board adopted a separate proposition that would create a Capital Reserve Fund to allow the District to set aside up to $9.5 million over a ten-year period to fund future improvements to its facilities.
Voters can learn more at a public hearing scheduled for May 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the Chatham High School library. The District will also mail its budget newsletter to residents in May.
November 9, 2023 | Finance Committee Meeting (Budget Calendar) |
November 14, 2023 | Board Meeting 6:00 pm (Budget Calendar Adoption) |
November 29, 2023 | Finance Committee Meeting (Finance Reserves Plan) |
December 12, 2023 | Board Meeting 6:00 pm (Adopt Fin. Reserve Plan) |
February 1, 2024 | Finance Committee Meeting (State Aid, ERS/TRS) |
February 13, 2024 | Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (Projected State Aid) |
February 15, 2024 | Finance Committee Meeting (Property Tax Cap, Budget) |
February 27, 2024 | Board Meeting 5:00 p.m (1st Part of Budget – Admin & Operations, Prop. Tax Cap, Phase 1’s) |
March 7, 2024 | Finance Committee Meeting (Review Budget Updates) |
March 12, 2024 | Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (2nd Part of Budget – Instructional, Library & Cafeteria) |
March 21, 2024 | Finance Committee Meeting (Review Budget Updates) |
March 22, 2024 | Petitions for Board of Education candidates become available |
March 26, 2024 | Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (3rd Part of Budget – Transportation, Benefits & Special Education ) |
March 28, 2024 | Finance Committee Meeting (Review Final Budget & Recommend) |
April 9, 2024 | Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (Adoption of 2024-2025 Budget) |
April 10, 2024 | Submission of Property Tax Report Card to NYSED |
April 22, 2024 | Last day for Board of Education candidates to submit petitions |
Last day to submit petitions to have a proposition placed on ballot | |
Absentee ballot applications become available from the District Clerk | |
Early mail voting ballot applications become available from the District Clerk | |
Copies of Budget and Required Attachments Made Available to Public Upon Request | |
April 23, 2024 | Drawing of Board candidate names for position on the ballot - 9:00 a.m. District Clerk's office |
May 1, 2024 | Voter Registration 3:00-7:00 p.m. Mary E. Dardess Elementary School Lobby |
May 14, 2024 | Annual Budget Hearing 6:00 p.m. CHS Library |
Last day to submit application for early voting/absentee ballot if applicant wishes to receive ballot by mail | |
May 15, 2024 | Voter Registration 4:00-8:00 p.m. Mary E. Dardess Elementary School Lobby |
Voter register is open for public inspection 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office | |
May 16, 2024 | Voter register is open for public inspection 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office |
May 17, 2024 | Voter register is open for public inspection 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office |
May 18, 2024 | Voter register is open for public inspection by appointment only 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office |
May 20, 2024 | Voter register is open for public inspection 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office |
Last day to submit application for early voting/absentee ballot if applicant wishes to receive ballot in person | |
May 21, 2024 | Annual Budget Vote and Elections 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. MED Gym |
Contrary to popular belief, the NYS property tax cap does not cap tax increases at 2%. Instead, schools must use a state formula each year to determine how much they can increase their tax levies by without having to seek a higher percentage of voter approval for the budget. This threshold may be different each year and must be determined by the District and submitted to the state by March 1st.
For 2024, Chatham CSD's allowable tax levy increase is 3.1 percent.
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 cap, a simple majority (50% + 1) of voter approval is needed to pass the budget. If the budget proposal carries a tax levy increase above the cap, a super majority (60%) of voter approval is needed for the budget to pass. More information on the NYS Property Tax Cap is available on the NY State Education Department Website.
The tax levy is the total dollar amount that is raised by annual property tax to fund the budget. It provides a major portion of the funding for the budget; the other major source of funding comes from state aid.
To be eligible to vote you must be:
• A citizen of the United States 18 years of age or older
• A resident of the Chatham 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 Columbia County Board of Elections
Voters who wish to vote early by mail may submit an application to vote by mail-in ballot.
Voters who are unable to vote in person on May 21, 2024 may submit an application to vote by absentee ballot.
Applications for early voting/absentee ballots will be available starting Monday, April 22 from the District Clerk in the Superintendent’s Office. The last day to submit an application for an early voting/absentee ballot is Tuesday, May 14 if the applicant wishes to receive the ballot by mail, or Monday, May 20 if the applicant wishes to receive the ballot in person.
Early voting/absentee ballots must be returned to the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote, Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
For more information, contact Deborah Pottenburgh, District Clerk, at 518-392-1501 or pottenburghd@chatham.k12.ny.us.
Not registered to vote? You can register to vote with the School District on the following voter registration days:
Wednesday, May 1, 2024 between the hours of 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. in the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School lobby
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 between the hours of 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School lobby
For information about the 2024 Board election, please visit our Board of Education Election page...
The 2023-24 budget totals $34,372,292 and carries a projected tax levy increase of 1.98 percent, which is under the District’s 3.52 percent limit set by New York State’s property tax cap for 2023. This represents the largest difference between what the tax cap allows and what the actual tax levy increase is since the tax cap became law. Spending is up a total of $754,191, a 2.24 percent increase from the 2022-23 budget.
Budget highlights include no program cuts or layoffs and the addition of a full-time speech pathologist position at Mary E. Dardess Elementary School, the addition of a k-5 literacy coach position, increased support for academic intervention services at Chatham Middle School, increased cross-curricular literacy learning in 8th grade, and the addition of American History Through Film & Music, Music Technology & Production, and Studio in Media Arts classes at Chatham High School. Budget reductions include the elimination of a kindergarten teaching position (due to decreased enrollment) and the elimination of a vendor contract that provided part-time speech pathologist service
Included in the budget is the purchase of one 35-passenger gas school bus and one 66-passenger gas school bus, which will replace two 13-year-old 66-passenger buses with mechanical issues as part of the District’s ongoing bus replacement plan. For every dollar spent on bus purchases, the District receives approximately $0.31 (31 percent) back in aid from New York State.
Also built into the budget is a small capital project to improve the ceiling and audio-visual instructional technology in the high school auditorium. As a capital project, the work is eligible to receive 50 percent back in state aid.
2023-2024 Budget Information
2022-2023 Budget Information
2021-2022 Budget Information
2020-2021 Budget Information
2019-2020 Budget Information
2018-2019 Budget Information
2017-2018 Budget Information
2016-2017 Budget Information
2015-2016 Budget Information
2014-2015 Budget Information
2013-2014 Budget Information
2012-2013 Budget Information
2011-2012 Budget Information
2010-2011 Budget Information
2009-2010 Budget Information
Questions or comments about the budget?
Email them to budget@chatham.k12.ny.us