NEW SCOTLAND — At $28 million, the Voorheesville Central School District’s initial draft budget for the 2022-23 school year is up about 4.4 percent over this year’s voter-approved spending plan.

The district is not projecting a budget shortfall for next year, unusual in a first-draft spending proposal. Voorheesville started three previous budget seasons $100,000, $200,000, and $542,000 in the red. 

And this time last year, Voorheesville was looking at a pandemic-induced $1.4 million budget gap — an unusually large sum that, due to federal government largesse, turned into a one-time surplus of about $693,000.

The state-set property-tax limit for next year is estimated at approximately $19.95 million, a 4.05-percent increase over this year; however, the draft budget assumes a levy increase of only 2.5 percent.

Based on the district’s growth factor, Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Jim Southard said during the Feb. 7 school board meeting, “we believe” the actual tax rate property owners will pay for next year will increase by less than 1 percent. The district has until March 1 to file its tax-cap calculation with the state Comptroller’s Office, Southard said.

The most recent rate paid by Voorheesville Central School District property owners was $17.95 per $1,000 assessed value. 

 The district is slated to receive a total of $7.56 million from New York State next year — a 13.44-percent bump over this year primarily due to an increase in Foundation Aid, which is set to increase from approximately $3.76 million to about $4.37 million.

Voorheesville’s other sources of revenue for next year are an approximate $704,000 fund-balance allocation and $40,000 from the federal government.  

Candidate petitions for the board of education are currently available. 

The submission deadline is April 18. 

Two board members’ terms are up this year, President Cynthia Monaghan and Trustee Argi O’Leary. 

Board elections are held on the same day as the budget vote, May 17.