Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District administrators will present the 2025-26 budget proposal during a public hearing on Monday, May 12. The hearing will begin at 7 p.m. in J-D High School’s Large Group Room. You can also attend this virtually via Zoom.
The district’s $75.3 million proposal for the 2025-26 school year calls for a $3.9 million, or 5.56%, increase in spending over the current year’s budget. It would be funded through four areas: state aid ($23 million), the tax levy ($46 million), fund balance ($3.9 million), and other revenues ($2.1 million) from such items as county sales tax and interest income.
The state-imposed tax levy limit will allow the district to raise 1.96% or $888,019 more than in 2024-25. Because the proposal is within the district’s tax levy limit, a simple majority of voters would need to approve the budget for it to pass.
The proposal would maintain programming and support the district’s new strategic plan which has three focus areas including academic excellence; enhanced student and family experience; and safe and efficient operations.
Read more about budget development here.
What you can expect on the ballot
Proposition 1: 2025-26 Budget
Proposed Budget: $75,327,667
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.
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.
Board of Education Election
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.
Candidate names will appear on the ballot in this order:
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- Jing Lei
- Sharon Archer
- Laurin Haddad
- Lorianne DeForest
You can read candidate profiles provided to the district here.
Next Steps
You can learn more about the proposed 2025-26 budget in a community newsletter and postcard which will be mailed to district residents.
Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., May 20, at the J-D High School gymnasium. Additional information can be found on the district’s Budget and Finance webpage.