Tax levy will not exceed state cap

The 2017-18 school district budget that will be on the ballot May 16 has a property tax levy that complies with the state cap, meaning only a simple majority of voters will have to favor the plan for it to take effect.

The budget, adopted by the Board of Education on Wednesday, includes $1.71 million in unspent money for the 2016-17 budget to close the gap between the amount the district needs to generate from property taxes next school year and the maximum amount allowed by the state. (Budgets with a tax levy exceeding the cap must be favored by at least 60 percent of voters in order to take effect.)

Softening the blow of using unspent money is that the district is getting about $900,000 more in state aid for 2017-18 than it expected.

“We’re in a good position as far as [fund balance] is concerned,” Superintendent Paul

Padalino said.

The budget that will go before voters next month totals $169.58 million and has a property tax levy of $98.86 million. The budget is 4.94 percent larger than its 2016-17 counterpart. The tax levy is up by

1.35 percent.

Under New York state’s 2017-18 budget, approved this month in Albany, state aid to the Kingston school district will increase by $65,565,478, or 12.8 percent, from the 2016-17 level of $58,125,342.

The proposed school district budget does not cut any personnel or programs.

“One of the things that

I think we can point to that is exciting about this budget is we’re able to maintain all of those initiatives that we put in place over the last few years,” Padalino said.

“We’re not pulling away from the commitments that we’ve made ... [for] the things that people value most — our AP (Advanced Placement) classes, our

athletics, our music, our library, art, extracurriculars,” he said. “Those are the things we were able to maintain.”

Padalino, though, said the district still is talking to the unions representing district employees in an effort to find savings in the costs of benefits.

“We are still in conversation with our teachers about what we may be

able to do around health insurance that could impact revenues moving forward,” he said.

The budget vote is scheduled for May 16 at the district’s seven elementary schools.

Also on the ballot will be candidates for Board of Education seats and a proposal for the district to spend $4.2 million to renovate the former

Frank L. Meagher Elementary School in Midtown Kingston to house the district’s administrative offices and prekindergarten classes.

The district would pay for the Meagher work with a combination of state aid, proceeds from the sale of the district’s current administration building, and money from a capital reserve account.