The Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District is getting closer to finalizing its proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year. School Business Administrator Brian Bartlett provided an update during the Board of Education’s regular meeting on Monday, April 6.
The district is currently developing a $74,962,459 proposed budget, that’s $365,208 less than the current year’s school budget.
“The decrease is the culmination of the work we’ve been doing and presenting since August when we began meeting with the Board of Education Finance Committee,” said Bartlett. “The reductions that we’ve made this year are leading to a year-over-year decrease in total spending, which is helping get our expenses back in line with revenues.”
Administrators looked closely at all areas of the budget while navigating a rise in essential operating costs. The proposal addresses a budget gap of approximately $5 million, driven largely by factors beyond the district’s direct control – including increases in utilities, health insurance premiums, and commercial insurance. Those expenses are paired with an estimated 1% increase in expected Foundation Aid from the state for the 2026-27 school year.
In the past, the district has used fund balance and reserves, essentially the district’s savings account, to help fill gaps.
“We’re trying to shift away from relying on district savings to balance the budget. It’s not sustainable,” explained Bartlett. “We’ve taken a really close look at the budget to find other ways to reduce spending. We’re planning to use about $2.5 million in fund balance and reserves to help fill the budget gap, which is $1.5 million less than last year.”
Administrators, along with input from the board’s Finance Committee, are following three guiding goals as they make budgetary decisions: maintain student programming, reduce staff through attrition as much as possible, and adhere to the tax cap.
District leaders are using enrollment data to make staffing adjustments through retirements, resignations, and rethinking staffing models while ensuring limited impacts on students and programming.
The proposal includes a reduction of approximately 35 positions across the district. This includes 32 full-time equivalent instructional positions, 2 full-time equivalent administrative positions, and 1 full-time equivalent non-instructional position. Most of these reductions are occurring through attrition, including retirements and resignations, which helps minimize the impact on current staff wherever possible.
“These are not easy decisions, and we are approaching them with both fiscal discipline and a high level of respect for our employees,” shared Superintendent Darcy Woodcock. “As enrollment continues to shift, our staffing levels need to as well. We’ve been very deliberate in spreading these reductions district-wide, ensuring that our decisions remain rooted in our strategic plan and our commitment to our students.”
The proposal stays within Jamesville-DeWitt’s calculated tax levy limit, allowing the district to raise 2.63% or $1.2 million more than in 2025-26 and require a simple majority of voters to approve the budget for it to pass. This decision reflects voter feedback and awareness of the financial pressures impacting the community.
NEXT STEPS
New York state has not adopted its budget yet. Administrators are closely monitoring developments like a Hold Harmless proposal that would increase Foundation Aid to 2%. If passed, this would provide an additional $130,000 for the district. The senate has also proposed a Capital Outlay Project increase that would take pressure off larger building projects.
Administrators have conducted individual meetings with staff members directly impacted by proposed reductions. They are still meeting with teams and departments to work through the changes together.
The board’s Finance Committee will meet with administrators on Wednesday, April 15, to finalize the budget proposal. The three-part budget will be presented to the board for adoption on Monday, April 20.
The district will hold a public hearing on Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m. at J-D High School in the Large Group Room. The budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, at the J-D High School gymnasium from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.