Board of Education Policy 5120: School District Budget Hearing

The Board of Education will hold an Annual Budget Hearing, in accordance with law, so as to inform and present to District residents a detailed written statement regarding the District’s estimated expenditures and revenue for the upcoming school year prior to the budget vote which is taken at the Annual District Meeting and Election.

The Budget Hearing will be held not less than seven (7) nor more than fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual District Meeting and Election or Special District Meeting at which the budget vote will occur. The proposed budget will be completed at least seven (7) days prior to the budget hearing at which it is to be presented.

Notice of the date, time and place of the annual budget hearing will be included in the notice of the Annual Meeting and Election and/or Special District Meeting as required by law.

All School District budgets which are submitted for voter approval shall be presented in three (3) components: a program component, an administrative component, and a capital component; and each component will be separately delineated in accordance with law and/or regulation.

The Board of Education will also prepare and append to copies of the proposed budget a School District Report Card, pursuant to the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, referencing measures of academic and fiscal performance. Additionally, the Board of Education shall also append to copies of the proposed budget a detailed statement of the total compensation to be paid to various administrators as enumerated in law and/or regulation, and a Property Tax Report Card prepared in accordance with law and Commissioner’s Regulations.

All budget documents for distribution to the public will be written in plain language and organized in a manner which best promotes public comprehension of the contents. New York School District Report Cards and Property Tax Report Cards are also available online from the State Education Department.

Dissemination of Budget Information

Copies of the proposed annual operating budget for the succeeding year and all required attachments may be obtained by any District resident. Requests for copies of the proposed budget should be made at least seven (7) days before the budget hearing. Copies shall be prepared and made available at the school district office, public or associate libraries within the district and on the district website, if one exists. Copies will be available to district residents during the fourteen (14) day period immediately preceding the Annual Meeting and Election or Special District Meeting at which the budget vote will occur. Additionally, the District will include notice of the availability of copies of the budget at least once during the school year in any district-wide mailing.

Budget Notice

The School District Clerk shall mail a School Budget Notice to all qualified voters of the School District after the date of the Budget Hearing, but no later than six (6) days prior to the Annual Meeting and Election or Special District Meeting at which a school budget vote will occur. The School Budget Notice shall compare the percentage increase or decrease in total spending under the proposed budget over total spending under the School District budget adopted for the current school year, with the percentage increase or decrease in the Consumer Price Index from January first of the prior school year to January first of the current school year.

Beginning with the budget notice for the 2012-2013 proposed budget, the District will also include in the notice:

a) The school tax levy limit;

b) The proposed school year tax levy (without permissible exclusions to the school tax levy limit);

c) The total permissible exclusions; and

d) The proposed school year tax levy (including permissible exclusions to the school tax levy limit).

The Notice shall also include, in a manner and format prescribed by the Commissioner of Education, a comparison of the tax savings under the basic school tax relief (STAR) exemption and the increase or decrease in school tax levy from the prior year.

The Notice shall also set forth the date, time and place of the school budget vote in the same manner as in the Notice of the Annual Meeting. The School Budget Notice shall be in a form prescribed by the Commissioner of Education.

Notice of Budget Hearing/Availability of Budget Statement:
Education Law Sections 1608(2), 1716(2), 2003(1), 2004(1),2023-a and 2601-a(2)

Election and Budget Vote:
Education Law Sections 1804(4), 1906(1), 2002(1), 2017(5), 2017(6), 2022(1), 2023-a and 2601-a(2)

Budget Development and Attachments:
Education Law Sections 1608(3), 1608(4), 1608(5), 1608(6), 1608(7), 1716(3), 1716(4), 1716(5), 1716(6), 1716(7), 2022(2-a), 2023-a and 2601-a(3) 8 NYCRR Sections 100.2(bb), 170.8 and 170.9

Adopted February 26, 2019