At its April 24 meeting, the Cohoes City School District Board of Education adopted a proposed $53,439,681 spending plan for the 2024-25 school year that will go before voters on Tuesday, May 21.
The budget proposal represents a 2.1% increase — or $179,273 — to the tax levy, which is the total amount of money the district can raise through property taxes. 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 on May 21. District leaders estimate that taxes on a home with a market value of $150,000 would increase by about $30 annually, or $3 per month (before STAR exemptions).
This plan represents a $1.1 million increase over the current year with most of the added expenses offset by an additional $900,000 the district will receive in state aid.
View the April 24 budget presentation here (PDF).
If you are unable to access this, please contact the Communications Dept. at communications@cohoes.org.
Despite being faced historically with fiscal challenges and the loss of federal COVID funding, the district is pleased to present a proposal that preserves all student programs, including critical positions and student support services.
The following positions were previously grant-funded through the American Rescue Plan. With these funds set to expire, these positions are now included in the general district budget:
- 1.0 Intervention Specialist at Abram Lansing
- 1.0 SEL Behavior Coach at Harmony Hill
- 1.0 teacher at Harmony Hill
- 1.0 Dean of Students and 1.0 Social Worker at the Middle School
- 1.0 Dean of Students at the High School
The proposed budget also includes the following highlights:
Elementary
- .4 speech teacher, .4 physical therapist and .4 occupational therapist for special education programming
- 1.0 campus safety monitor at Abram Lansing and 1.0 campus safety monitor at Harmony Hill
- 1.0 special education aide
- Part-time ELL support aides at Harmony Hill
Middle School
- 1.0 Spanish teacher (currently .6)
- .2 PE teacher
High School
- 1.0 Tutoring Center Instructor
- .3 special education teacher (currently .7)
- .2 health teacher
Operations
- 1.0 Maintenance Mechanic
- Health & Safety Equipment
Budget development
The planning process began with each of the district’s schools and departments conducting a needs assessment. The assessments and subsequent proposals 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 2024-25 budget.
Public hearing
The Board will hold a public hearing on its proposed budget at 6 p.m. on May 8 in the Cohoes Middle School Library.
Budget vote
The annual school budget vote and Board of Education election will be held from noon to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21 at the district’s three polling locations: Abram Lansing Elementary, Harmony Hill School and Van Schaick Grade School.
Board of Education election
Voters will also elect two members to the Cohoes City School District Board of Education, each to serve a three-year term beginning July 1, 2024. The Board of Education is responsible for policies and regulations governing public education in the district.
To appear on the ballot, interested candidates have until May 1 to submit completed petitions. More information on running for the school board can be found here.
Budget Newsletter
Details of the proposed budget will be mailed to all district residents following the budget hearing on May 8.