Budget and Finance

Public schools are among the most significant investments that any community makes collectively. District leaders work to make the most effective use of resources to benefit students, to develop and manage the budget in a responsible and transparent manner and to be accountable to taxpayers.

Each spring, the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Board of Education adopts a proposed budget for the next school year that the community then votes upon.

2025-26 Budget Vote

Public Hearing

Monday, May 12
7 p.m. (J-DHS, Large Group Room)

Budget Vote

Tuesday, May 20
8 a.m. to 9 p.m.
J-D High School Gymnasium (6845 Edinger Drive)

Please participate in the district’s exit survey after voting!

*The district will be implementing a new election management software this year.

Voter Eligibility

By law, all voters must be:

- 18 years of age or older
- A United States citizen
- A resident of the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District for 30 days or more

Proof of residency (such as a driver’s license) may be required at the time you vote.

Budget at-a-glance

Proposed budget: $75,327,667

Budget change: $3.9 million/5.56%

Tax Levy change: $888,019/1.96%

Three-Part Budget Summary

All New York state public schools are required by law to report their spending in three categories: administrative, capital, and program. The state dictates which portions of the budget belong in each respective category.

Administrative Component

– $6,511,388/8.64%

The administrative component of the budget represents district and building oversight along with support services for all areas of operations. It represents 8.64% of the proposed budget and includes the superintendent and district office staff, business operations, building principals, clerical employees along with general areas of expenditures such as legal representation, district communications, information technology systems, audit services and various insurance coverages. By controlling administrative costs, the district is able to dedicate more of its resources directly into the classroom.

Capital Component

-$11,993,526/15.92%

The capital component of the budget represents the expenses required to operate, maintain and secure district facilities. Other items required to be reported here include debt service and funds transferred to the Capital Fund for work to be performed on district facilities. The capital component represents 15.92% of the total budget. The capital component also includes funding to enhance security throughout the district, along with preventative maintenance on operating systems including boilers, HVAC, fire alarms and communication systems.

Program Component

-$56,822,753/75.43%

The proposed program budget reflects the district’s commitment to excellence. The program budget represents 75.43% of the total budget and includes instructional costs such as teachers and classroom support, pupil support services, co-curricular activities, athletics and the operational cost of transporting students. The budget also maintains all existing programs including art, music, extra-curricular activities like drama clubs, and athletics. Jamesville-DeWitt dedicates maximum resources to classroom instruction and aims to provide an exceptional educational program focused on meeting the needs of the district’s diverse student population.

Ballot Propositions

Proposition 2: Bus Purchases

The district is proposing the purchase of four 65-passenger buses for $168,228 each and one Micro Bird bus for $109,407 for a total of $782,319. This will keep the district’s bus replacement plan on track, which aims to keep maintenance costs low and provide safe transportation for students.

All school buses must pass a rigorous state inspection that typically occurs twice annually. The district normally replaces its buses when it is no longer cost effective to make the repairs necessary to meet the state’s safety standards.

If voters approve the proposed purchases, the state would reimburse the district over a five-year period for approximately 70% of the cost of the new vehicles. The trade-in values would offset a portion of the purchase, and local property taxes would cover the remainder of the cost after transportation aid.

Proposition 3: Funding Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville

When Jamesville-DeWitt residents vote on the proposed 2025-26 school budget, they will also have the opportunity to vote on a proposition to levy and collect a tax in the amount of $1,653,321 for the Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville. New York state education law allows libraries to place a funding proposition on school district ballots and requires districts, at the libraries’ requests, to levy and collect taxes for libraries.

Tax Rate Estimate

Tax rates are calculated in August once property values are finalized by town, county, or city assessors in addition to receiving final equalization rates from the New York State Office of Real Property Tax Services. The school tax levy is only one portion of the tax rate formula.

The estimated projected tax per $100,000 of assessed home value with basic STAR exemption is $1,287.75, which would be a monthly increase of $2.06 or $24.73 annually.

2025-26 Budget News and Materials

- April 22: Board adopts 2025-26 budget proposal that would maintain student programming
- April 22: Candidates seek election for Jamesville-DeWitt Board of Education
- April 21: District presents 2025-26 budget proposal for board adoption (board presentation)
- April 8: District outlines preliminary 2025-26 budget proposal that would maintain student programming
- March 24: State Aid Update & Instructional Budget (board presentation)
- March 7: Board petitions available
- March 7: Budget development update/news included in Winter Newsletter
- March 3: State Aid Update & Non-Instructional Budget (board presentation)
- Feb. 10: 2025-26 Budget Development Update (board presentation)
- Jan. 27: Preliminary Revenues and Expenses (board presentation)

2025-26 Budget Development Calendar

The following outlines the Jamesville-DeWitt Board of Education’s upcoming meeting and budget development calendar for the 2024-25 school year. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the District Office unless otherwise noted. You can also attend via Zoom.

April

25: Final date to adopt the property tax report card by BOE, distribute military ballots
28: Property Tax Report Card due to SED

May

5: Budget Statement and attachments made publicly available
12: Budget Hearing & Regular Meeting
13: Mail Budget Notice to District Residents
20: Budget Vote & Annual Election

June

2: Regular Meeting (Certify Budget Vote & Election results)

Absentee/Early Voting Ballots

All qualified Jamesville-DeWitt voters are eligible to vote with a mail-in ballot. Applications are needed for both early voting and absentee ballots.

Early voting ballots: all qualified district residents are eligible to vote early with a mail-in ballot for any reason.

Absentee ballots: voters must complete an absentee application and state the reason they will not be able to appear in person on the day of the district election/vote. An absentee ballot can be used if a qualified district resident is a patient in a hospital or unable to appear because of illness or disability; is required or on vacation outside the country; or is detained in jail awaiting conviction for an offense other than a felony. Forms returned without this information will be processed as an early mail ballot. If you are registered as a permanently disabled absentee voter with the Onondaga County Board of Elections, an absentee ballot will automatically be provided to you.

Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk at least seven days (May 13) before the election/vote if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election/vote (May 20) if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter.

Completed ballots must be received by the District Clerk by 5 p.m. on the day of the vote, May 20. A secured drop-off box is located outside the district office at J-D High School.

For more information or to get an application, contact Tish Hauser at thauser@jd.cnyric.org or 315-445-8304. You can also visit the district office at 6845 Edinger Drive, DeWitt, NY.

Military Ballots

Members of the United States Armed Forces may request an application for a military ballot to vote in the upcoming Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District budget and board of education election on May 20.

In 2019, New York state implemented a law giving members of the military the opportunity to cast their ballots for the election of members of the board of education, and the adoption of the annual budget, school district public library budget and referenda. This expansion also applies to spouses and dependents of members of the military.

Persons serving in the military, along with their spouses and/or dependents, already had the ability to register as a military voter in New York state, entitling them to receive an absentee ballot for all federal, state and local races that they would be otherwise entitled to vote in if they were to go to their assigned polling place based on their New York residence.

Applications can be requested by contacting Tish Hauser at thauser@jd.cnyric.org or 315-445-8304. They must be returned no later than Thursday, April 24.

Board of Education Election

On May 20, district residents will elect three members to the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Board of Education. Four candidates filed nominating petitions. The three candidates with the highest number of votes will fill the available seats. Each term will run from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2028.

Four candidates filed nominating petitions for the available seats. Their names will appear in this order on the ballot:

- Jing Lei
- Sharon Archer
- Laurin Haddad
- Lorianne DeForest

Follow this link to read candidate profiles provided to the district.

The board is made up of nine school district residents whose terms are staggered. Board members are not financially compensated for their service.

School Budgets in 60 Seconds

Watch the video below for a quick overview of how school budgets are developed in New York

STAR Program

Homeowners who meet certain eligibility requirements through the New York State School Tax Relief Program (STAR) can have a portion of their home’s assessed value exempt from school property taxes. Learn more about the STAR program.

Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and Coverage

Form 1095-C will no longer be distributed automatically to district employees or retirees and must be requested annually. For more information and to request Form 1095-C, please click on this link to the OCM BOCES website.