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Process of creating 2025-26 budget underway
The process of assembling an annual district budget is about more than just balancing expenses and revenues.
“It provides us with an opportunity to reimagine, to build upon the opportunities,” the Poughkeepsie City School District offers to students, Superintendent Dr. Eric Jay Rosser explained at Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting.
It’s a process that has been going on behind the scenes but is now ramping up as the May 20 annual budget vote and school board election approaches.
District officials on Wednesday presented to the board what is in motion with the 2025-26 budget process, when key information will be known and set a timeline for updates to the board. For example, on Tuesday business office and assistant superintendents met with building principals to discuss the needs and wants of each school, and in the coming days department heads will meet to do the same.
The idea, Rosser said, is always to look at ways to expand student experiences and resources.
“We want to make sure that student” experience in the district “is high-quality; one that is going to lead to, not only students finding success in school but also students finding success once they graduate from our schools,” he said. “Our budget is a very important aspect of us being able to deliver on what I call our promise and our obligation to students.”
Officials plan to present again to the board Feb. 19 with a full budget draft after the Governor’s Office releases projected allocations to each school, which will be followed by a March 19 presentation of another budget draft. The board is expected to vote on adopting the proposed budget at its April 22 meeting in advance of the May 20 vote.
The presentation Wednesday included updates on transportation contracts and the progress toward implementing new bus routes, which would be a part of augmenting bus service to each elementary school with the elementary reorganization anticipated in 2025-26. The business office plans to recommend to the board expanding the transportation budget by $1.8 million. In addition to serving the elementary reorganization project, the transportation expansion is expected to assist in the district’s goal of advancing the achievement of elementary school students and increasing student attendance.
The presentation also included a look at expected employee benefits expenses, the district’s debt and changes to its debt limit, BOCES aid and charter school expenses.