POUGHKEEPSIE – The Poughkeepsie City School District is proposing a $140.1 million budget that maintains student programming and staffing despite anticipating a $1.4 million decrease in state aid, according to Superintendent Dr. Eric Rosser. Poughkeepsie is among more than 300 school districts in New York anticipating a drop in aid for 2024-25.
“It’s disappointing that the proposed state aid budget represents a disinvestment in the important and evidence-based work Poughkeepsie has engaged in for the last four years,” said Dr. Rosser. “Our five-year strategic plan has proven to be effective in changing the trajectory of student success in Poughkeepsie, which, among many achievements, has resulted in all elementary schools achieving New York State Education Department ‘Good Standing’ accountability status for the first time in 13 years.”
Rosser said the proposed budget is a “commitment to do our best” to avoid cutting services following the proposed decrease in funding from the state. “I am proud to say that the draft 2024-25 budget maintains the current level of student programming and does not result in any staff losing their employment with the Poughkeepsie City School District,” he said.
“We’ve been diligent in our resource stewardship and prudent in our responsibility of using taxpayer dollars strategically to support student success now and into the future,” Rosser said. “We are looking to use a great deal of fund balance to close the gap so that we can continue our forward progress.” Beyond accounting for a decrease in state aid, developing the district’s budget was further complicated by the loss of COVID relief, the impact of inflation, and the implementation of three collective bargaining agreements settled within the last year, according to Rosser.
Ken Silver, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, recently shared a draft of the detailed budget with the board. The proposed $140,123,358 budget represents a 3.1 percent increase over last year’s approved $135,957,853 budget and currently carries a 4.75 percent tax increase. Rosser noted Silver and he would be working over the next several weeks to reduce the tax increase to a percentage that accounts for the economic conditions of the local community. “The restoration of some or all of the state aid reduction will make reducing the tax increase much easier,” Rosser noted.
The Board is scheduled to adopt the budget once the state releases its final budget the first week of April and the formal budget hearing is scheduled for May 7 ahead of the community vote on May 21.
