2025-26 Budget Development Calendar
The following calendar was adopted by the Board of Education on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024. It outlines Board of Education meeting dates, community engagement efforts, legal deadlines, and voting activities leading up to the school budget vote on Tuesday, May 20.
Dec. 2-17: Budget priority ThoughtExchange
Jan. 2025: Executive Budget Proposal released (anticipated mid-Jan.)
Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28 / Feb. 4: Leadership Budget Conferences
Jan. 7: Board of Education Meeting, Budget Development, 2025-26 Budget Priorities
Jan. 17: Board of Education Finance Committee Meeting, review Preliminary Budget Assumptions, State Aid/Executive Budget Proposal (if available), 2025-26 Budget Priorities
Jan. 28: Board of Education Meeting, 2025-26 Budget Development
Maintenance of Effort Budget, State Aid & Executive Budget Proposal (if available)
Feb. 11: Board of Education Meeting, 2025-26 Budget Development, 2024-25 Revenue (including 2025-26 Tax Cap)
Feb. 25: Board of Education Meeting, 2025-26 Budget Development, presentation of First Draft 2025-26 Budget
Feb. 28: Board of Education Finance Committee Meeting, review/discussion of First Draft 2025-26 Budget
March 1: Submit 2025-26 Tax Cap Calculation to the Office of the State Comptroller, Tax & Finance, SED
March 11: Board of Education Meeting, 2025-26 Budget Development
March 21: Board of Education Finance Committee Meeting, review/discuss Proposed 2025-26 Budget, Deadline for Submission of Petitions for Propositions to be placed on the ballot
March 25: Board of Education Meeting, discussion of proposed 2025-26 Budget, Adopt Bus Purchase Resolution
April 4-7: Legal notice of school budget hearing and budget vote. (Must advertise four times within 7 weeks of the vote with first publication at least 45 days before date of budget vote.)
April 8: Board of Education Meeting, 2025-26 Budget Development, Adoption of 2025-26 Budget
April 9: Submit Property Tax Report Card to SED and local newspaper of general circulation (after budget adoption)
April/May: Community & PTO Budget Presentations
April 21: Deadline for Submission of Petitions for Nominations of Board
of Education Candidates, inform candidates of legal requirements for all candidates for election to the Board of Education; first sworn statement of
campaign contributions due to District Clerk.
April 22: Drawing by District Clerk for determination of candidate ballot order
April 25: Budget Newsletter Mailed to all residents, final date for Budget Adoption by the Board of Education (Property Tax Report Card must be submitted to NYSED by the end of the next business day following budget adoption and submitted to newspaper of general circulation), military ballots must be mailed by this date
April 29: Budget Statement and Required Attachments available in
school offices, website, town library, and upon request
May 6: Board of Education Meeting, Public Budget Hearing
May 7: Budget Notice Mailed to all residents
May 13: Last Day for absentee ballots to be requested if ballot is to
be mailed
May 15: Second Sworn Statement of Board of Education candidates
campaign contributions or loans in excess of $1,000 due to
District Clerk
May 15-19: List of residents given absentee ballots available for
inspection
May 19: Last day for absentee ballots to be requested in person
May 20: Statewide Budget Vote and Board of Education Election
Day
June 9: Last Day for Board of Education candidates to file final
campaign finance statement (within 20 days after election)
June 17: Statewide Budget Revote Day
July 1: Implement 2025-26 School Budget
2024-25 Budget Information
On Tuesday, May 21 Niskayuna Central School District voters approved the 2024-25 school budget, with 1,021 casting votes in favor of the $110.7 million spending plan and 562 opposed.
Voters also approved the bus purchase proposition by a vote of 1,059 to 524 and the capital reserve proposition by a vote of 1,102 to 472.
The results, announced at Niskayuna High School shortly after polls closed, showed 64% percent of voters supported the budget.
The budget called for a tax levy increase of 2%, which is below the district’s tax cap for next year. The budget continues all current student programs and staff in the General Fund as well as nearly $1.8 million in new investments in education in our school district.
New investments were guided by nine budget priorities that focused broadly on expanding educational access and opportunity, support for students and learning and district operational needs, including facilities upkeep. Investing in student, faculty and staff support in particular were major community budget priorities identified through an online budget dialogue on the ThoughtExchange platform.
Ehaysui Gomes was elected to a first term on the Board of Education, while Howard Schlossberg was elected to a fourth term.