Proposed budget prioritizes student success

Strategic mission, vision and goals honored throughout development process

Friday, April 19, 2024: On Tuesday, May 21, North Syracuse Central School District residents will vote on the district’s $212,196,591 budget proposal for the 2024-25 school year. The proposed budget reflects the district’s commitment to providing an exceptional education and honors its strategic mission, vision, and goals. Despite being faced with fiscal challenges, including overcoming inflation and the loss of federal funding, the district is pleased to present a proposal that prioritizes student success.

Like other districts in New York, the NSCSD budget has relied heavily on Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) and American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to pay for necessary student supports in response to COVID-related learning deficits. Combined with historically high inflation rates, increased benefits, pensions and energy costs, creating a balanced budget proposal required intensive planning and strategic budgeting.

Our district is fortunate enough to have a dedicated group of instructional directors involved in the budgeting process to ensure that critical programming in all areas was protected. In order to reduce our overall staffing in response to both the budget deficit and declining enrollment, we will NOT be adding any new positions and 12.5 staff positions will be eliminated at the end of the school year due to retirements.

PROPOSED BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Continued implementation of ELA curricula from Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) and Expeditionary Learning (EL) Education.
• The essential student support systems that were put in place with COVID funding to monitor and address student mental health will be maintained.
• The critical Community Schools partnership with Onondaga County that deployed Promise Zone and Contact specialists to work directly with youth and families to develop success strategies will continue.
• Targeted professional development opportunities designed to empower staff and build systems capacity will continue as part of ongoing strategies to improve academic and emotional supports.

The district’s budget proposal for the 2024-25 school year is $212,196,591. This represents a 2.98% tax levy increase over the current year. 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. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 21. 

Please remember that a change in polling locations was approved at last year’s vote. The location is the same (Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building 5355 West Taft Road in North Syracuse) for voters who live south of Route 481. For voters who live north of Route 481, the new polling place is the Michael J. Bragman Stadium at Cicero-North Syracuse High School (6002 Route 31 in Cicero). For those that have not been to the stadium, you will enter the high school property from Route 31 and take the “Y” to the right. Signage will direct voters to the stadium.

To ensure that community numbers are well-informed prior to the vote, the district will hold a series of budget presentations and will continually post information on its dedicated budget website. Additionally, a print newsletter will be distributed to NSCSD residents around the beginning of May. Click here to go to the 2024-2025 budget development webpage. 

BUDGET PRESENTATIONS:

• MAY 2: Budget presentation at 6 PM at Gillette Road Middle School (6150 South Bay Rd.) in Cicero
• MAY 7: Public Hearing at 6 PM at the Jerome F. Melvin Administrative Office Building (5355 West Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse
• MAY 7: Virtual budget presentation at 7 PM (link will be posted online)
• MAY 9: Budget presentation at 6 PM at North Syracuse Junior High School (5353 West Taft Rd.) in North Syracuse
• MAY 14: Virtual budget presentation at 7 PM (link will be posted online)