Public schools are among the most significant investments that any community makes collectively. District leaders work to make the most effective use of resources to benefit students, to develop and manage the budget in a responsible and transparent manner, and to be accountable to taxpayers.
Each spring the Board of Education adopts a budget for the coming school year for a community vote, which is typically held on the third Tuesday in May.
2024-2025 Budget
Total Budget: $53,439,681
Spending Increase: 2.1%
Tax Levy Increase: 1%
Budget Development Process
Under New York law the school budget vote and election occurs on the third Tuesday in May, unless a district files a request with the commissioner of education to move the date to the second Tuesday in May based upon a conflict with a religious observance. School district Boards of Education work to develop a budget throughout the school year.
View the 2025 Annual Budget Vote & School Board Election timeline as determined by the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA).
View a glossary of budget terms.
Understanding New York’s Tax Levy Cap
When Cohoes voters head to the polls to vote on the school budget each year, they cast votes for a budget plan shaped in part by a law known to many as the Property Tax Cap. Approved by the State Legislature in 2011, this complex law is intended to provide property tax relief. The law does not create a cap, but a threshold that determines the level of voter support needed to pass the budget every year. That threshold is different for every school district in the state.
Tax Levy v. Tax Rate
The tax levy is the total amount of money the school district raises in property taxes. Actual tax rates are dependent on several factors including assessment practices and equalization rates.
Tax rates are not set until July — after the state certifies assessment rolls for the properties in the city of Cohoes. Tax bills are sent out in September after this process has concluded. The school district has no control over assessment practices — and does not collect more in taxes than the amount it levies.
Budget & Finance
Business Office Contact
School Business Official: Stacy Mackey
Phone: (518) 237-0100 ext. 3
Fax: (518) 237-2912
21 Page Avenue, Cohoes, NY 12047
Budget Archive
2023-24 School Year
Total Budget: $52,340,112
Spending increase: 11.36%
Tax levy Increase: 1%
2022-23 School Year
Total budget: $47,000,525
Spending increase: 7.71%
Tax levy decrease: 1.04%
2021-22 School Year
Total Budget: $43,636,917
Spending Decrease: (.53%)
Tax Levy Increase: 6.8%
2020-21 School Year
Total Budget: $43,867,736
Spending Increase: 0%
Tax Levy Increase: 2.32%
2019-20 School Year
Total Budget: $43,867,736
Spending Increase: 2.2%
Tax Levy Increase: 1.75%
Capital Project
On Tuesday, May 17, 2022 Cohoes voters approved a $19,985,700 capital project referendum that will improve existing buildings and classroom spaces to enhance students’ educational experience. The project will address key health and safety measures, as well as improvements to the district’s athletic fields and will have no additional tax impact on residents.