Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District administrators are outlining their vision for the 2026-27 budget development process and sharing steps they’ve already taken to keep staff and the broader community informed.
Superintendent Darcy Woodcock and School Business Administrator Brian Bartlett have presented up-to-date budget information at regular board of education meetings, which they’ve also been sharing with staff throughout the year.
“This is our budget as a school community. While the board ultimately presents the budget to voters, it truly belongs to all of us. We all share responsibility for being fiscally responsible while offering the best we can for students. Building trust as a team and as a community means being transparent throughout the entire process and giving people the opportunity to ask questions and share feedback,” said Woodcock.
To begin the conversation early, Woodcock and Bartlett met with all staff in the fall as part of budget “roadshow” conversations at each school building and the district office. They held a follow-up presentation for all staff at the end of January. During the staff meetings, they shared federal and state fiscal updates and discussed the challenges the district will likely face during its upcoming budget season.
“Why did we start budget conversations with staff as early as October? Because we could see what was coming. We are anticipating a $3 million budget gap this year,” shared Woodcock. “The district received $6.3 million in one-time COVID relief grants, which have now been fully spent. Foundation Aid was also phased in during this same time period, temporarily increasing cash flow. This year, we’re only projected to receive a minimum 1% increase in Foundation Aid. When people talk about a ‘funding cliff,’ this is what they mean, those one-time or temporary funding sources have run out and we can’t rely on them to fill gaps moving forward.”
Jamesville-DeWitt faced similar challenges last year, but used additional fund balance to help balance the budget. Bartlett says that is not a sustainable option.
“Those funds are essentially the district’s savings account and eventually they run out. Relying on them long term is not fiscally responsible,” said Bartlett. “At the same time, we’re seeing significant increases in spending, particularly for utilities, health, property, and auto insurance.”
With those pieces of the puzzle in mind, administrators have outlined three guiding goals they developed with the board of education’s finance committee that will shape the 2026-27 school budget proposal:
- Limited impact on programs
- Adherence to tax cap limit
- Attrition
Limited impact on programs
The district’s strategic plan and mission centers on supporting students and their learning experiences. Superintendent Woodcock and Bartlett say they want to preserve academic programs, services, and student supports but are also considering options to achieve that in more efficient and cost effective ways.
Adherence to tax cap limit
Responses from the 2025-26 budget exit survey indicate that there is not a consensus among voters when it comes to supporting a tax cap override. Taking that feedback into account, while also being sensitive to the financial pressures many community members are facing, the district currently plans to develop a proposal that stays within the state-imposed tax levy limit. That means a simple majority of voters would need to approve the budget for it to pass.
Attrition
If reductions are needed, district leaders have emphasized that they will look at enrollment data and make adjustments through attrition, retirements, resignations, and rethinking staffing models rather than implementing layoffs for as long as possible.
“We understand that just looking at enrollment on paper does not properly tell the story of the students sitting in classrooms. We know that as enrollment declines it doesn’t automatically mean that staff declines because you need to look at the needs of each student. We will be keeping that in mind as decisions are made,” said Woodcock.
Next steps
The district will continue to share budget development updates with staff, families, the community, and board as more information becomes available. The next board of education meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 9. All budget updates and presentations will be accessible on the district’s Budget and Finance webpage.
The school budget vote is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, May 19, at J-D High School.