On Tuesday, May 20, Waterville Central School District residents will vote on a proposed budget for the 2025-26 school year – a plan designed to balance the district’s strategic priorities, values and financial realities.
The district remains committed to delivering a high-quality education while maintaining fiscal responsibility to taxpayers. Throughout the budget planning process, district leaders and the Board of Education have analyzed financial projections, student enrollment trends, and programmatic needs, while gathering input from staff through a needs assessment process. The proposed 2025-26 budget is designed to support student success while ensuring the district’s long-term operational stability.
The Board of Education has approved a 2% tax levy increase, which represents the local share of funding and aligns with the district’s calculated tax levy limit established under New York state law. While this increase helps support essential programs and services, the district is also using the budgeting process as an opportunity to enhance efficiency and align resources with long-term priorities.
“As we work to provide the highest level of education while remaining fiscally responsible, we are also identifying ways to operate more efficiently and close the budget gap,” said Superintendent Jennifer Spring. “After a thorough assessment of our financial position, we have identified areas where we can streamline costs while preserving the excellence of district programs.”
One of the key areas of focus is assessing positions as staff retire. By carefully evaluating which roles are essential to fill, the district can strategically reallocate resources to align with long-term priorities while minimizing the impact on students.
With limited increases in Foundation Aid, the district is making targeted spending adjustments to address rising costs in programmatic services, employee benefits and operational expenses. Additionally, the district will apply fund balance strategically to close any remaining budget gaps.
“We remain committed to transparency throughout this process and will continue to prioritize the needs of our students and school community as we work toward finalizing the budget proposal in the coming weeks,” Spring said.
Next Steps in the Budget Process
The district will continue its budget discussion leading up to key milestones:
- Tuesday, April 8 – Board of Education adoption of the proposed budget
- Tuesday, May 13 – Public hearing on the proposed budget
- Tuesday, May 20 – Annual budget vote and Board of Education election
More information about the budget vote, timeline and election news is available on the Budget & Finance page of the district website.