Figuring out how much money a school district needs during a late state budget process has grown to be a math equation school leaders say is “difficult” to figure out.
“There are really only three main revenue sources for school districts,” said David Albert, of the NYS School Boards Association. “So, they have property taxes — local taxes, state aid and they have federal aid.”
Albert said federal aid only accounts for about 7%.
So, the majority of a school district’s revenue comes from the state budget and local aid through property taxes.
While the state budget director says school aid will increase by at least 2% for school districts, there is still uncertainty as the budget continues to be negotiated.
“So, districts don’t really know if they’re going to get 1%, are they going to get 2%, are they going to get a 1.5% increase?” said Albert.
Officials say school districts will typically make a more conservative assumption. In this case, a district may plan on receiving a 1% increase in funding.
But officials said there’s a “danger” in having to guess.
In overestimating, a district could end up with a shortfall. If they underestimate, a district may have needlessly cut programs and services for students.
“Outside the big five cities, all districts are required to submit their budgets for approvals for voters,” said Bob Lowry, of the New York State Council of School Superintendents. “That vote takes place on May 19, but there are some procedural requirements in advance of that.”
Some state leaders say the state budget process needs to be timelier in respect to the budget process for school districts.
“They’re putting them out to a vote to you not knowing what they’re getting from the state,” said Republican Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra. “So, you may be dealing with getting a higher property tax bill because they have to basically build a contingency in case they don’t get as much state aid as they want.”
“As chair of local governments, I’m concerned because a lot of local governments are trying to plan their budgets,” said Democratic Assemblymember Michaelle Solages. “School districts are looking to vote on their budgets in just a couple of days, and we need to make sure we’re providing clarity to those voters.”
School officials tell Spectrum News 1 they understand the state’s fiscal year begins on April 1, which is different from when school districts’ fiscal year begins on July 1. So, while they understand the budget may be late, they’re asking if it can be “timely.”