The Geneva City School District Board of Education adopted a spending plan this week that proposes a 3.9 percent increase to the tax levy. The increase is within the district’s tax levy cap and will be put to voters at the May 21 school budget vote and election.
“The district’s budget increases have largely mirrored increased needs in the city of Geneva,” said Superintendent Bo Wright. “The number of our families who are considered ‘economically disadvantaged’ — meaning their income falls below the poverty level — is now at 72 percent. This budget allows us to address the needs of all of our students and help position them for academic success.”
The proposed spending plan totals $73,675,289, compared to last year’s budget of $68,042,864. The proposed tax levy is $23,206,907, which is 31.5 percent of district revenue. The district built the budget anticipating changes to state and federal support. While state aid has increased by $4,761,328 and would provide 60 percent of the district’s total revenue, federal aid for COVID-19 relief expires in the fall for school districts across the nation.
The federal funding was designed to address school safety measures, student learning loss, and mental health needs in the wake of the pandemic. “Although we were able to make a great deal of progress on all of those fronts, we continue to face learning delays and mental health needs related to the disruption of the pandemic, which is certainly true for all of the school districts around us as well,” said Wright.
“Fortunately, Geneva’s state aid boost, along with existing grants, allowed us to put forward a spending plan that minimizes taxpayer impact while maintaining our commitment to student programming,” added Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Jesse Lambert.
Individual taxes may be impacted by a City of Geneva reassessment this year — a process that the school district has no control over. “The Town of Geneva completed a reassessment last spring,” Lambert noted. “School districts are not involved in decisions to reassess,” she added. “And, a reassessment does not always equate to a school tax increase — that will vary from one property to the next.”
Wright emphasized the spending plan helps position all students for success. “We continue to leverage resources that will prepare our students for life beyond graduation,” said Wright. “We are expanding opportunities for students to take college credit-bearing courses in high school at a reduced rate and working with our local business community to provide internship opportunities, especially for students who are interested in joining the workforce right after graduation. We are also looking to increase career and technical education (CTE) opportunities through our regional BOCES offerings.”
The budget vote and election will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 21 at North Street School. In addition to the proposed spending plan, taxpayers will also vote on two Board of Education seats, each for five-year terms.
