CANTON — Facing a $1.5 million budget shortfall, the Canton Central School District School Board passed a 6.5 percent tax increase for the 2024-2025 school year.
Superintendent Susan Todd said the board faces many difficult decisions.
“Governor Hochul’s executive budget plan includes significant reductions in foundation grants to schools. dollars,” she said in an email to the Times.
The budget proposal submitted to the Board of Education at this budget workshop included the following estimates.
Estimated revenue: $35,060,413
Estimated applicable funds balance: $5,500,000
Estimated reserves: $981,915
Mr. Todd said this budget workshop is the first step in the budget planning process. All numbers are very provisional.
“Even if the Legislature is successful in pushing back the Governor’s plan, Canton will still have to make many difficult decisions before finalizing its budget for the 2024-2025 school year,” she said. said.
Todd said the budget includes the elimination of two elementary school classrooms and one middle school classroom.
He said one person has resigned and one person is planning to retire this year. Such vacancies are unlikely to be filled.
Board members could have asked taxpayers for more.
Calculations used to determine the maximum amount the school board can increase taxes found that the maximum for Canton's 2024-25 budget is 8.9%.
Business Manager Dennis Folsom said part of the reason for the high cap is a $38 million capital improvement project.
Board members discussed within range for several minutes.
Director Katherine Devins has advocated for an increase closer to 5%, while director Daniel Thomas at one point suggested he would aim for the maximum.
“We're looking down the barrel of layoffs,” he said.
With the 6.5% increase, the tax rate will be $25.55 per 1,000 assessed values.
The rate for 2023-2024 was $23.99 per 1000 people.
The tax amount will be $11,820,319.
Without the exemption, a homeowner with $175,000 worth of property would pay $4,472 in 2024, an increase of $273 per year and $23 per month.
With the Basic STAR exemption, the same taxpayer would be charged $3,705 in taxes. This increases by $226 per year to $19 per month.
With Enhanced STAR, your tax bill would be $2,392. This equates to an increase of $150 per year or $12 per month.
Mr. Devins voted against the resolution. Upvoted by Esther Ooi, Dennis Sello, Wendy Todd, Robert Larrabee, Daniel Thomas and Victor Rycroft. Kristin Martin, who was appointed to the board Thursday to replace Jessica Sheik, who resigned on Feb. 1, abstained.
The total amount of the spending plan is $42,699,343.
Susan Todd said there is a lot of work to be done on the budget and the hope is that funding from the state will shift in the district's favor.
However, the tax rate will remain unchanged since it is scheduled to be submitted to the state by March 1st.
“After discussing how to balance the needs of Central Canton students while being fiscally responsible to the district's taxpayers, the board settled on a 6.5 percent increase,” Todd said.
