Budget Information

2024-25 Budget

Development of the budget for the 2024-25 school year is currently underway. Information will be posted to this site as it becomes available.

Budget Documents

Budget Presentations

2024-25 Budget Development Calendar

November 9, 2023 

Finance Committee Meeting (Budget Calendar)

November 14, 2023

Board Meeting 6:00 pm (Budget Calendar Adoption)  

November 29, 2023  

Finance Committee Meeting (Finance Reserves Plan)

December 12, 2023

Board Meeting 6:00 pm (Adopt Fin. Reserve Plan)

February 1, 2024

Finance Committee Meeting (State Aid, ERS/TRS)

February 13, 2024

Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (Projected State Aid)

February 15, 2024

Finance Committee Meeting (Property Tax Cap, Budget)

February 27, 2024

Board Meeting 5:00 p.m (1st Part of Budget – Admin & Operations, Prop. Tax Cap, Phase 1’s)

March 7, 2024 

Finance Committee Meeting (Review Budget Updates)

March 12, 2024

Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (2nd Part of Budget – Instructional, Library & Cafeteria)

March 21, 2024

Finance Committee Meeting (Review Budget Updates)

March 22, 2024

Petitions for Board of Education candidates become available

March 26, 2024

Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (3rd Part of Budget – Transportation, Benefits, & Special Education )

March 28, 2024

Finance Committee Meeting (Review Final Budget & Recommend)

April 9, 2024

Board Meeting 5:00 p.m. (Adoption of 2024-2025 Budget)

April 10, 2024

Submission of Property Tax Report Card to NYSED

April 22, 2024

Last day for Board of Education candidates to submit petitions

Last day to submit petitions to have a proposition placed on ballot

April 23, 2024

Drawing of the candidate names for position on the ballot - 9:00 a.m. District Clerk's office

April 26, 2024

Absentee Ballots applications become available from the District Clerk

April 29, 2024  

Copies of Budget and Required Attachments Made Available to Public Upon Request

May 1, 2024

Voter Registration 3:00-7:00 p.m.  Mary E. Dardess Elementary School Lobby

May 14, 2024

Annual Budget Hearing 5:00 p.m. CHS Library

Last day to submit application for absentee ballot if applicant wishes to receive ballot by mail

May 15, 2024

Voter Registration 4:00-8:00 p.m.  Mary E. Dardess Elementary School Lobby

Voter register is open for public inspection  9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office

May 16, 2024

Voter register is open for public inspection  9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office

May 17, 2024

Voter register is open for public inspection  9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office

May 18, 2024

Voter register is open for public inspection by appointment only 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office

May 20, 2024

Voter register is open for public inspection  9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Superintendent's Office

Last day to submit application for absentee ballot if applicant wishes to receive ballot in person

May 21, 2024

Annual Budget Vote and Elections 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. MED Gym

Property Tax Cap Information

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.

If the year-to-year increase of the District’s tax levy (portion of the school budget funded by property tax) 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.       

What is a Tax Levy?

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

Voter Qualifications

To be eligible to vote you must be:
• A citizen of the United States 18 years of age or older
• A resident of the Chatham Central School District for a period of 30 days or more directly preceding the date of the vote
• Registered to vote with either the School District or the Columbia County Board of Elections

Absentee Ballots

Voters who are unable to vote in person on May 21, 2024 may submit an application to vote by absentee ballot.

Applications for absentee ballots will be available starting Friday, April 26 from the District Clerk in the Superintendent’s Office. The last day to submit an application for an absentee ballot is Tuesday, May 14 if the applicant wishes to receive the ballot by mail, or Monday, May 20 if the applicant wishes to receive the ballot in person.

Absentee ballots must be returned to the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote, Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

Current Year's Budget

The 2023-24 budget totals $34,372,292 and carries a projected tax levy increase of 1.98 percent, which is under the District’s 3.52 percent limit set by New York State’s property tax cap for 2023. This represents the largest difference between what the tax cap allows and what the actual tax levy increase is since the tax cap became law. Spending is up a total of $754,191, a 2.24 percent increase from the 2022-23 budget.

Budget highlights include no program cuts or layoffs and the addition of a full-time speech pathologist position at Mary E. Dardess Elementary School, the addition of a k-5 literacy coach position, increased support for academic intervention services at Chatham Middle School, increased cross-curricular literacy learning in 8th grade, and the addition of American History Through Film & Music, Music Technology & Production, and Studio in Media Arts classes at Chatham High School. Budget reductions include the elimination of a kindergarten teaching position (due to decreased enrollment) and the elimination of a vendor contract that provided part-time speech pathologist service

Included in the budget is the purchase of one 35-passenger gas school bus and one 66-passenger gas school bus, which will replace two 13-year-old 66-passenger buses with mechanical issues as part of the District’s ongoing bus replacement plan. For every dollar spent on bus purchases, the District receives approximately $0.31 (31 percent) back in aid from New York State.

Also built into the budget is a small capital project to improve the ceiling and audio-visual instructional technology in the high school auditorium. As a capital project, the work is eligible to receive 50 percent back in state aid.

Learn more about the 2023-24 budget...

Budget Information from Previous Years