Pioneer's 2022-23 budget planning process is underway, with an eye toward charting a fiscal plan for future initiatives, creating stability in programming and services, enabling stability for taxpayers, and incorporating strategies to minimize budget risk and volatility over the long term.
Assistant Superintendent Nicholas Silvaroli CPA gave a preview of the budget planning season at the Jan. 18 regular meeting of the Board of Education. The current budget totals $59.421 million.
Mr. Silvaroli said Governor Kathy Hochul had delivered her State of the State address earlier in the day. He said he expects further details in coming days when the governor releases her proposed budget for education in 2022-23.
In the most recent general fund budget, Pioneer received 69.5 percent state and federal aid, while 22.7 percent was funded by local property taxes, and 7.8 percent other aid.
Mr. Silvaroli noted Pioneer's property tax levy has increased an average of 1.66 percent annually since 2011-12.
He said he and his fellow school fiscal officers are watching with interest as the state fulfills a long-ago promise to fully fund Foundation Aid. He figures Pioneer has lost over $70 million in aid since 2007-08 through Albany's decision to not fully fund that aid source for schools.
Foundation aid was created in 2007 to distribute state funding in an equitable way, considering each school district's wealth and student need. But it was never fully funded, and critics say the formula for calculating the amount of aid is based on outdated population data.
Factors shaping the planning of the 2022-23 general fund budget on the revenue side include:
- a state property tax cap with an approximate 2 percent increase
- adjustments in the district assigned fund balance or "savings account"
- a pull back on budgeted "high cost aid" to better align with actual aid
With regard to expenditures, Pioneer can expect a typical number of annual teacher retirements. Meanwhile he said the district must keep pace with hiring trends and minimum wage increases to stay competitive in the job market. He added that the private cleaning contract for the high school and middle school had not been renewed, so the district could bring that operation "in-house."
Mr. Silvaroli will have more information to share when he starts to break down the budget area-by-area at the next board meetings on Feb. 1 and Feb. 15.