
School Budget Vote Tomorrow Across CNY, Here’s What You Need To Know?
New York State residents will head to the polls tomorrow to elect school board members and decide on 2021-2022 school district budgets. Locally, that includes five local districts – Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, and Poland in Herkimer County, and Sauquoit Valley and Waterville in Oneida County.
According to the New York State School Board’s Association, 21 school districts are presenting budgets that exceed the tax cap.
The NYSSBA says that’s close to the average of 23 districts each year.
In the Herkimer School District, residents will vote on a $26 million spending plan that would increase spending by 4.9 percent, which would result in a zero percent tax levy increase.
However, the zero percent increase is above the district’s allotted tax levy cap of negative 4.67% percent as defined by the state’s tax cap legislation, so a super majority of voters is required for budget approval.
In the Poland Central School District, the nearly $16 million budget exceeds the state’s tax levy limit of negative 2.59 percent.
School districts looking to override the tax cap will require a 60 percent vote from the public. School districts will be limited to a 1.23 percent tax levy this year.
The cap was 1.81 percent a year ago. The tax cap has been in place since 2021, limiting tax increases to 2 percent of the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.
According to the NYSSBA, 99 percent of school districts budgets passed in 2020, with just five going down to defeat.
Polls will be open on Tuesday from Noon to 9:00PM or 2:00PM to 8:00PM in most school districts.
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