Vote May 19, 2026: Chatham Central School District's annual budget vote and Board of Education election is Tuesday, May 19, 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. in the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School gymnasium.

Budget Hearing May 12, 2026: Voters can learn about the proposed budget at a public hearing scheduled for May 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the Chatham High School library. Please note that this is a budget hearing only, NO Board candidate forum is scheduled.

Voter Registration May 13, 2026: Voter registration for those who have not previously registered to vote with either the Columbia County Board of Elections or the Chatham Central School District and would like to vote in the School Budget Vote & Board of Education Election is available May 13 from 4-8 p.m. in the MED Elementary School lobby.

At its April 14 meeting, the Chatham Central School District Board of Education adopted its proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year. The budget totals $37,470,295 and carries a projected tax levy increase of 1.75 percent, which is under the 2.10 percent limit set by New York State’s property tax cap. Spending is up a total of $1,152,686, a 3.17 percent increase from the 2025-26 budget. 

This budget cycle, the District had to overcome a $854,922 year-to-year budget gap caused by low state operating aid compounded by an 11 percent increase in health insurance costs, a 25 percent increase in  prescription plan premiums, new contracts with faculty and support staff unions, and inflation.

In order to reduce costs and balance the budget, the District reduced administrative staffing by one position and educational staffing by three positions to match declining student enrollment, cut two bus runs to match declining ridership, reduced business office staffing by one position, and used $741,000 in reserves. Staffing reductions were made through attrition (retirements/resignations) and did not require layoffs. The District also applied $1,341,600 in allocated fund balance and $573,953 in unallocated fund balance to further offset year-to-year cost increases and hold the tax levy below the tax cap. 

Budget highlights include no loss of programs, a continued rich assortment of opportunities for students with the addition of Applied Geometry, Women’s Studies, and Exploring Educational Pathways electives at Chatham High School, and two bus replacement purchases. The budget also includes a $100,000 capital project to install a ventilation system for the transportation offices in the bus garage. 

In addition to the budget, voters will be asked to decide on a separate proposition that would allow the District to expend $3,879,600 from the Capital Reserve Fund to install air conditioning at Mary E. Dardess Elementary School. The money would be used in lieu of bonding for the project that was approved by voters in 2023, and would result in tax savings by avoiding debt-associated costs.

More information will be in the District's annual budget newsletter that it mails to residents in May.

• Chatham CSD 2026-27 Educational and Program Budget

• Chatham CSD NYS School Report Card

• Chatham CSD NYS Financial Transparency Report

• 2026-27 Property Tax Report Card

• 2026 Budget Vote & Board Election Legal Notice

• Chatham CSD Reserve Plan - December 9, 2025

• Final Budget - April 14, 2026

• Third Part of Budget - March 24, 2026

• Second Part of Budget - March 10, 2026

• First Part of Budget - February 25, 2026

• Projected State Aid - February 3, 2026

• Board Adopts Proposed 2026-27 School Budget - April 23, 2026

• CCSD Spring Update - April 20, 2026

• 2026-27 School Budget Update - March 26, 2026

As part of the Chatham Central School District’s long-term fiscal plan to provide for the financial stability of the District, Chatham uses fund balance and reserve accounts to hold down tax increases and minimize budget cuts.

This year, the District allocated $741,000 in reserves from its Employee Retirement Reserve Account to offset cost increases and help close the year-to-year budget gap.

The District also utilizes fund balance each year as revenue in the next year’s budget. The District used $1,341,600 in allocated fund balance and an additional $573,953 in unassigned fund balance to help close the budget gap and bring the tax levy increase under the limit set by the tax cap. Fund balance is a reserve similar to a savings account; when District expenses are less than expected, or revenues are higher than projected, money remaining at the end of the year is held in the fund balance. 

District officials will use other reserve accounts as necessary to cover revenue in areas where costs commonly fluctuate, such as health insurance, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation, and tax certiorari. 

Chatham’s 2025-2034 Financial Reserve Plan is available on our Budget Information page at www.chathamcentralschools.com.

Included in the 2026-27 budget is a small capital project to install a ventilation system in the transportation offices located in the bus garage. These offices currently do not have any ventilation system. The project would install an energy-efficient small energy recovery ventilator and ducted split heat pump system to provide optimal ventilation, heating/cooling and humidity, and remove pollutants.The project would not exceed $100,000 and does not increase the 2026-27 budget because money for small annual capital projects like this one was built into the budget in previous years. Completing these upgrades as a capital project provides significant savings to local taxpayers because Chatham CSD is eligible for approximately 50 percent state aid on capital projects, meaning the District would be reimbursed for about half of the cost of this project.

Contrary to popular belief, the NYS property tax cap does not cap tax increases at 2%. Instead, schools must use a state formula each year to determine how much they can increase their tax levies by without having to seek a higher percentage of voter approval for the budget. This threshold may be different each year and must be determined by the District and submitted to the state by March 1st.

For 2026-27, Chatham CSD's allowable tax levy increase is 2.10315%

If the year-to-year increase of the District’s tax levy is at or below the number determined by the cap, a simple majority (50% + 1) of voter approval is needed to pass the budget. If the budget proposal carries a tax levy increase above the cap, a super majority (60%) of voter approval is needed for the budget to pass. More information on the NYS Property Tax Cap is available on the NY State Education Department Website.       

Along with the use of reserves and fund balance, Chatham CSD made spending reductions in order to balance the 2026-27 budget.The District used a combination of staffing and program adjustments, efficiency measures, and other cost saving initiatives. School officials based reductions on a decline in student enrollment and program needs, which allowed the District to make cuts and still maintain its current programming/opportunities for students and meet all state mandates. The District utilized retirements and resignations to reduce staffing levels without layoffs. Reductions include:

• Replaced middle school assistant principal position with part-time dean of students stipend, based on enrollment

• Restructured business office duties, allowing the reduction of one office position

• Eliminated two middle school teacher positions based on enrollment

• Eliminated one middle school teacher assistant position based on enrollment

• Consolidated bus runs to match declining ridership, resulting in the elimination of two bus runs

In addition to these 2026-27 reductions, the District made significant reductions in the 2025-26 budget, including the elimination of 12 staffing positions and two bus runs based on declining enrollment and program needs. The District also reduced BOCES support services contracts and reduced supply budgets by 5%. These cuts also did not negatively impact student programming.   

Chatham CSD is continually evaluating and updating our programs to match the needs of our students. Below are just some examples of recent initiatives designed to keep our schools moving forward.

New Electives - This school year, students are enjoying the Intro to Agribusiness elective at Chatham High School. For next year, CHS will be adding three more electives that were achieved through careful restructuring of the schedule and will not increase spending. The  Applied Geometry, Women’s Studies, and Exploring Educational Pathways classes will add to our ever-expanding variety of fresh, engaging, and relevant electives for students to choose from. 

Employee Contracts - Over the last year, school officials were able to negotiate new contracts with five of the employee unions that represent our teaching and support staff. The District’s goal was to negotiate fair contracts that are competitive with other schools in our area so that we can continue to attract and retain the best employees. 

2023 Capital Improvement Project - Construction on our $22,098,195 Capital Improvement Project, which voters approved in February 2023, is well underway. The project includes major improvements and modernized educational spaces at our high school, and the installation  of air conditioning at our elementary school. 

Academic Support - We have grown our Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). This program uses a three-tiered, data-driven model to identify all students’ needs early and provide interventions to support all students. This program allows us to provide the specific support or additional challenges our students need to grow as learners. 

We have also strengthened our teacher leadership program by identifying teacher leaders to help analyze and support our programs based on curriculum and grade level. This teacher leadership program helps identify best practices or areas we need to work on, create goals, and allows us to analyze the needs of our students and schools. 

If voters do not approve the budget on May 19, the Board of Education can either put the same budget or a revised budget up for vote on June 16, or adopt a contingency budget. If the budget is again defeated on June 16, the Board must adopt a contingency budget

The NYS property tax cap law holds the contingency budget tax levy increase at 0 percent, meaning the District can only levy the same amount of taxes (or less) as it did in 2025, regardless of cost increases. However, all state mandated programs, whether funded by state aid or not, are required to be retained. A contingency budget also prevents spending on new equipment and limits public use of District facilities.

These regulations mean that in a contingent budget, the Board would need to make $941,433 in cuts to the budget proposal. The District would be required to remove purchases of new equipment from the budget (except where safety is concerned), including replacement buses, and would have to consider program reductions, including cuts to instructional and non-instructional budgets.

The tax levy is the total dollar amount that is raised by annual property tax to fund the budget. It provides a major portion of the funding for the budget; the other major source of funding comes from state aid.

Fund balance is a reserve similar to a savings account; when District expenses are less than expected, or revenues are higher than projected, money remaining at the end of the year is held in the fund balance. The District utilizes fund balance each year as revenue in the budget to minimize spending cuts and hold down tax increases.

Proposition #2 would authorize the District to expend $3,879,600 from the Capital Reserve Fund to finance the installation of air conditioning at Mary E. Dardess Elementary School. Spending money from the Capital Reserve Fund must be approved by voters and can only be used to fund capital improvement (construction/renovation) projects.

Why use capital reserves to pay for a project that voters already approved?

Chatham CSD is asking voters for permission to change how it pays for the planned air conditioning project at Mary E. Dardess (MED) Elementary School. Voters previously approved the MED AC project as Proposition #2 of the District's 2023 Capital Improvement Project. The plan then was to take out a loan (bond) to pay for the project, which would have increased property taxes to cover the interest and debt, but the project was delayed. Since then, the District created a Capital Reserve Fund (approved by voters in 2024) and used it to save enough money to be able to pay for the project in cash. 

If voters approve Proposition #2, the District would use money in the Capital Reserve Fund to cover the entire cost of the MED AC project. This would eliminate the need for a tax hike because the District won't have to pay interest on a loan. If voters reject the proposal, the District would borrow the money and increase taxes to pay off the debt as originally authorized by voters in 2023.

Is this "additional" money for the project?

No. The project cost is still $3,879,600, exactly what voters approved in 2023. The District is simply asking to use "cash on hand" instead of taking out a loan.

Why was the project delayed?
In 2023, the District planned to install a “whole-building” HVAC system at MED, but the construction bids for the original design came in much higher than anticipated.The District put the project on hold while it redesigned the plan to stay within the budget that voters approved.

What is the revised plan?
Installation is planned for the summer of 2027. The new approach focuses on the areas where our students spend the most time. The revised plan includes:

• Installation of individual AC units in every MED classroom.

• Installation of a rooftop HVAC system in the MED gym

• Installation of a rooftop HVAC system in the MED cafeteria.

This ensures that all our instructional spaces and high-use common areas remain comfortable (the MED library already has air conditioning), even during the hottest months.

Information pertaining to the 2026 Board of Education election can be found on our Board of Education Election Page...

Applications for absentee or early mail voter ballots may be applied for at the Office of the School District Clerk.  Applications for absentee ballots can be requested no earlier than April 24, 2026 and must be received by the District Clerk no later than 4:00 p.m. on May 12, 2026, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter; or no later than 4:00 p.m. on May 18, 2026 if receiving the ballot in person. All absentee or early mail in voter ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2026. Contact the District Clerk at 518-392-1501 or pottenburghd@chatham.k12.ny.us.ny

The 2025-26 budget totals $36,317,609 and carries a projected tax levy increase of 3.66 percent, which is at the limit set by New York State’s property tax cap. Spending is up a total of $889,058, a 2.51 percent increase from the 2024-25 budget. 

The District had to overcome an approximately $1.4 million year-to-year budget gap caused largely by a significant reduction in school aid from the state, steep increases in health insurance and prescription plan premiums, a rise in special education costs, and inflation.

In order to balance the budget, the District reduced staffing by the equivalent of 12 positions to match declining student enrollment, cut two bus runs to match declining ridership, reduced contracted BOCES support staff services, reduced spending in the area of supplies and field trips, and applied $573,953 in unallocated fund balance. Staffing reductions were made through attrition (retirements/resignations) wherever possible. As it has in recent years, the District also applied $1,341,600 in allocated fund balance to further offset year-to-year cost increases and lower the tax levy to the level set by the tax cap. 

Budget highlights include no loss of programs, a continued rich assortment of opportunities for students, the addition of an Intro to Agribusiness elective at Chatham High School, support for universal pre-k, and two bus replacement purchases. The budget also includes a small capital project to improve the bus garage’s fuel storage system.  Learn more about the 2025-26 School Budget...

2025-2026 Budget Information
2024-2025 Budget Information
2023-2024 Budget Information
2022-2023 Budget Information
2021-2022 Budget Information
2020-2021 Budget Information
2019-2020 Budget Information
2018-2019 Budget Information
2017-2018 Budget Information
2016-2017 Budget Information
2015-2016 Budget Information
2014-2015 Budget Information
2013-2014 Budget Information
2012-2013 Budget Information
2011-2012 Budget Information
2010-2011 Budget Information
2009-2010 Budget Information

Questions or comments about the budget?

Email them to budget@chatham.k12.ny.us