Budget Development Update | March 20, 2024

March 20, 2024

Dear NECSD students, families, faculty, staff, and community members,

I’m writing to share some information with you about the budget development process. This process always presents different sets of challenges and this year is no different. As you know, we all feel the impact of rising costs on our personal budgets. The school district budget is no different. Costs are rising in almost every aspect of our spending.

In addition to rising costs, small city school districts across New York State celebrated receiving full foundation aid just last year, only to have that same formula in jeopardy this year. Our school district budget is influenced by more than just our local Board of Education and school district leadership. I encourage you to click this link and use this template to let Governor Hochul know the importance of our district continuing to receive full funding of foundation aid, as we are heavily reliant on state aid to support our annual operating budget. This is expressed in the second and third bullet points listed in the template provided. 

As of today, the district is facing a $9.03M gap for FY25. In addition to the factors listed above, the district has not raised the tax levy for 9 consecutive years. This means the total percent the district has collected from local taxpayers has not changed in that time. We are the only district in NYS that has been able to accomplish this. However, this has not come without its downside. If our district had increased the tax levy by just 1% each year over the last nine years our revenue, for the 24-25 fiscal year, would be over $10 million dollars higher than it is today. This approach has forced the district to make tough choices and factors into the challenging financial position we face today. The district will continue to work diligently to keep the tax levy as low as possible for our taxpayers while being able to provide the educational programs environment we believe our children deserve.

As the educational leader for our district, my priorities that will focus on this budget are: the literacy of all scholars, supports for our English Language Learners (18% of our scholars), and our Exceptional Learners (special education). I recognize that our human capital is our most valued resource to achieve those goals. As such, all contracts are settled with one currently in negotiations before it expires at the end of June.

Budget development presentations for the 2024-2025 school year that have been given to date can be found below. These presentations will continue to evolve following the timeline required by the state and adopted by our Board of Education. I encourage you to watch the entire meeting section and follow along with the presentation to better understand the process and the proposals that are being made. Developing opinions from soundbites and summaries from others who have their own agendas will not properly inform you of this process and even worse, may confuse and upset you unnecessarily. 

Budget Development Presentations to date:

 BOE Meeting | March 19, 2024
Budget Development Update
Video Presentation (begins 1:13:00)

 __________________

   BOE Meeting | March 5, 2024
Budget Development Update
Video Presentation (begins 1:42:25)

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BOE Meeting | February 27, 2024
Budget Development Update
Video Presentation (begins 43:00)

We welcome your questions and feedback that can be shared by emailing Budget@necsd.net. Thank you for your commitment to educating every Goldback, every day. We each play a critical role in supporting our children. 

Sincerely,

Dr. J. Manning Campbell
Superintendent of Schools

ATTENTION: Are your scholars or colleagues doing something great? Please contact the district Communications Team at communications@necsd.net. We’d love to visit your class or event and/or post your pictures and recap to highlight the amazing accomplishments throughout our district!