Governor Hochul's preliminary 2024-25 budget would allow for a spending increase of 1.93 percent for the Pioneer School District, according to a presentation at the Feb. 13 regular meeting of the Pioneer Board of Education.
Anthony Montoro III, Assistant Superintendent of Finance, gave the board its first glance at the figures for next year. He said the governor's Jan. 16 proposal includes $35.31 billion in support for education, representing a 2.39 percent increase over the current year.
Under the Governor’s proposal, Foundation Aid, the largest and most flexible category of state school aid, would increase approximately $507 million. Other than the 2020-2021 Covid year, this represents the lowest increase in Foundation Aid in over a decade, officials said.
In her proposal, Governor Hochul modifies the Foundation Aid formula in a manner that results in less Foundation Aid for schools than would otherwise be provided under the current formula, and results in nearly half of New York State schools receiving a decrease in aid.
In anticipation of a challenging school aid proposal for 2024-25, Pioneer took precautionary measures when developing the current year budget, Mr. Montoro said. This approach allows for a Pioneer Foundation Aid budget increase of 2.35 percent.
The following aid categories show no increase for Pioneer—Community Schools Aide Set-Aside, Expense-Driven Aid, Building Aid/Reorganization Incentive Building Aid, Universal Pre-K, and Full-Day Pre-K.
In other highlights, the governor earmarked $180 million for school lunch and breakfast program subsidies, allowing up to 90 percent of New York's children to eat for no out-of-pocket cost. Pioneer will not see a change, because complimentary breakfast and lunch are being provided in the current year and will continue for next school year.
Mr. Montoro said the state's property tax cap for Pioneer for next year is 4.34 percent. The district will seek an increase of 2.89 percent, he added.
A preliminary revenue figure for Pioneer for 2024-25 is $66,979,236, a spending increase of 1.93 percent. Future board meetings will include further presentations on the major portions of the expenditure side, including Salaries and Benefits, BOCES, Transportation, and Debt Service. Mr. Montoro is expected to also have the first complete draft of the 2024-25 budget at the March 5 Board of Education meeting.