The Cortland Enlarged City School District Board of Education learned Tuesday night about the schedule for developing and putting to a vote the budget for the 2025-26 school spending plan, from addressing service requests for Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES to a May 6 public hearing to the May 21 vote.
District Business Administrator Kristopher Williamson outlined, month-by-month, key dates for the district to receive initial 2025 funding requests from individual departments, by Dec. 16, to the day a second budget vote would take place – June 17, 2025 – if voters reject the district’s proposed spending plan.
Voters approved the district’s 2024-25 budget last May, 433-192. The $53.14 million plan is up 5.8% from last year’s $53.05 million budget. Its property tax levy of $19.33 million was up 4.1% from last year’s $18.57 million.
However, because the city of Cortland reassessed its properties, the property tax rate dropped to $12.54 per $1,000 assessed value from $13.84 per $1,000.
School board members unanimously approved the 2025-26 budget schedule by a voice vote.
That was one of several items the board approved unanimously.
The board also unanimously approved accepting a donation of two pallets of “assorted school supplies” from Walmart on Route 13 in Cortlandville.
However, board members voted, 4-2, to heed the board attorney’s recommendation and reject a parent’s request to transport a child to a non-public school within Cortland County. Lori J. Megivern and Donald Chu voted no.
The student was not identified.
