At its April 8 meeting, the Chatham Central School District Board of Education adopted its proposed budget for the 2025-26 school year. The budget totals $36,317,609 and carries a projected tax levy increase of 3.66 percent, which is at the limit set by New York State’s property tax cap. Spending is up a total of $889,058, a 2.51 percent increase from the 2024-25 budget.
This budget cycle, the District had to overcome an approximately $1.4 million year-to-year budget gap caused largely by a significant reduction in school aid from the state, steep increases in health insurance and prescription plan premiums, a rise in special education costs, and inflation.
In order to balance the budget, the District reduced staffing by the equivalent of 12 positions to match declining student enrollment, cut two bus runs to match declining ridership, reduced contracted BOCES support staff services, reduced spending in the area of supplies and field trips, and applied $573,953 in unallocated fund balance. Staffing reductions were made through attrition (retirements/resignations) wherever possible. As it has in recent years, the District also applied $1,341,600 in allocated fund balance to further offset year-to-year cost increases and lower the tax levy to the level set by the tax cap.
Budget highlights include no loss of programs, a continued rich assortment of opportunities for students, the addition of an Intro to Agribusiness elective at Chatham High School, support for universal pre-k, and two bus replacement purchases. The budget also includes a small capital project to improve the bus garage’s fuel storage system.
Voters can learn more at a public hearing scheduled for May 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the Chatham High School library. Budget information is also available on our Budget News page and the District will mail our annual budget newsletter to residents in early May.
Voting on the proposed School Budget and Board of Education Election takes place Tuesday, May 20, 2025 from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. in the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School gym.