In the West Irondequoit Central School District, voters will be heading to the polls Tuesday, May 19, to vote on a $105,572,417 school budget for 2026-27.
In addition to the budget, voters will elect members to the school board. The vote will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 19 at the St. Paul Blvd. Fire Dept located at 433 Cooper Road.
Here is more information about the proposed budget:
If the budget is approved the tax levy will be increased by 0.44 cents per $1,000 assessed home value. Compared to the current school year budget, the proposed budget increased by $4,961,082 or 4.93%.
What are the biggest areas of spending increase?
The two largest areas of spending increase were employee benefits, resulting from large increases in health insurance premiums and debt service.
The debt service is to cover the long-term financing of capital projects, but is offset by increases in state building aid.
Are there any areas of spending cuts or decreases?
The district has negotiated changes to lower cost health insurance to partially offset the larger than usual medical premium increases.
What would be the new tax rate per $1,000 of assessed valuation?
The new tax rate is estimated to be $22.21 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. An owner of a $200,000 house is projected to have an tax increase of $88.
What were the biggest challenges in fashioning the budget?
Personnel and benefits make up the largest portion of the West Irondequoit school budget. Health care costs make for “a major and growing expense,” the district said.
“This year, those costs have risen well beyond recent trends, placing added pressure on school systems,” the district said. “For many districts, that has meant difficult decisions, such as reducing staff or scaling back programs that directly impact students. Because we have carefully planned and managed our finances over the past few years, we have avoided those tough cuts.”
With state foundation aid only increasing 1.5% and the district’s tax cap set at 2% amid inflation in the economy, “costs are increasing at a higher rate than revenue sources,” the district said.
— Kerria Weaver works as the Government and You reporter for the Democrat and Chronicle, with a focus on how government actions affect communities and neighborhoods in Rochester and in Monroe County.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: West Irondequoit voters will decide school budget — key numbers
Reporting by Kerria Weaver, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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