On Tuesday, May 17, voters will be asked to decide on a proposed
$19,985,700 capital project that includes improvements and upgrades to district facilities and carries a tax-neutral impact. The proposal will go before voters during the annual school budget vote and Board of Education election.
The Cohoes City School District Board of Education adopted the proposed $47,000,525 spending plan for the 2022-23 school year at their April 13th meeting.
This plan represents a $3,363,608 increase over the current year. Most of the increase (approximately $2.5 million) would be funded by the district’s additional allocation of Foundation Aid.
The budget proposal includes a 1.04% decrease, or -$177,674, to the tax levy, which is the total amount of money the district can raise through property taxes. The decrease is a result of a change in PILOTS (payment in lieu of taxes) to the district. The negative tax levy is offset by an increase of more than $500,000 in PILOT payments in 2022-23.
Because the proposed tax levy is within the district’s allowable limit under the state’s tax “cap” formula, a simple majority (50% plus 1) is needed for approval. District leaders estimate that taxes on a home with a market value of $150,000 would increase by about $41 annually, or $3.42 per month, before factoring in the STAR rebate.
Budget development
The planning process began with each of the district’s schools and departments conducting a needs assessment. The assessments and subsequent proposal were submitted to the district’s budget committee. The budget committee then conducted a return on investment analysis and made recommendations to the Board of Education of what should be included in the 2022-23 budget.
The proposed budget focuses on enhancing educational programming, as well as safe and secure environments, including:
- A full-time science teacher and part-time world language teacher at Cohoes High School.
- A full-time special education teacher (currently part-time) at the high school. and a full-time functional skills special education teacher at the middle school.
- Additional English as a New Language (ENL) support at Harmony Hill.
- A full-time speech teacher for the middle and high school; existing staff will serve the elementary schools.
- A new math series for elementary students.
- A full-time groundskeeper.
- Additional safety and security personnel at the high school and middle school.
The annual school budget vote and Board of Education election will be held from noon to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17, at the district’s three polling locations: Abram Lansing Elementary, Harmony Hill School and Van Schaick Grade School.