Frequently Asked Questions: Budget and Voting Logistics

Each year, the annual budget is developed with a view toward the next several school years. We work to identify and address immediate needs, including those for our infrastructure and transportation, and build on our progress to provide an educational experience that enriches each and every student academically and emotionally. Among the areas included in the annual budget are: instructional initiatives, counseling services, special education, food services, faculty and staff salaries, facilities maintenance, retirement system costs, health insurance premiums, debt service, data and technology needs, transportation, infrastructure, utility costs, and health and safety services.

Various components support the district’s operating budget. Approximately 74% of the district's revenue comes from school taxes paid by residents. The next largest contributor is State Aid, which accounts for over 16% (see more on State Aid below). The remaining 10% is a combination of Westchester County Sales Tax, the district’s Fund Balance and reserves, and miscellaneous revenue and interest. 

State Aid is very significant to the district, as it represents over 16% of our budget. This year, we expect to receive a 1% increase (+$52,834) in Foundation Aid and a modest increase in Transportation and Building Aid. 

The district received over $1M in federal relief funding through ARP, CRRSA, and CARES funding. Though those revenue sources are no longer available, the student services and supports initially funded through relief funds have been successfully absorbed into our General Fund budget. These services will continue without interruption for the 2026-2027 school year.

The tax levy is the total amount a school district raises each year through property taxes. The tax rate is the amount of tax paid for each $1,000 of a property's assessed value. The district’s tax levy will not increase as a result of new properties being added to the rolls.

Yes, the tax levy for 2026-27 is within the Allowable Tax Levy and proposed at 2.19%. The proposed 2026-27 budget is $62,762,808, representing a 2.90% increase.

Yes, the district recently allocated the balance of its Repair Reserve monies to fund emergency repairs to the elevator at CHHS and the steam boiler at PVC. The district intends to include a proposition on this year’s ballot to replenish the Reserve, which it has done consistently over the past several years.

Our overall objective when developing the budget is to strike a balance among advancing the teaching and learning experience for our students and staff, maintaining our high-quality facilities, and remaining fiscally responsible to our community’s taxpayers. This proposed budget will maintain current staffing levels, while adding to the instructional and extracurricular experience for our students in a range of areas.
 
Over the past four years, the district has been focused on the concept of what a future-driven school system looks like and, more specifically, what Croton-Harmon Schools can be in the future. This year's proposed budget remains part of a long-term strategic plan to reimagine learning. The district's Vision Map clearly outlines goals to achieve this vision. Our administrative team works closely with staff members, students, families, and community residents throughout the year to get input on where opportunities exist to support our goals as well as identify efficiencies in our current operations. After discussion among the administrative team and the Board of Education, priority areas for the budget are identified, with this year’s proposal also reflecting the return on investment from staffing and program enhancements made in recent budgets.

When we created the Vision Map nearly four years ago, we articulated a vision for What School Can Be. That vision puts the interests and passions of our students and their teachers at the center of what we do; advances interdisciplinary teaching and learning to reflect the complex ways that our minds and the world work; and dismantles barriers that impede the development of the schools our community wants for its children. A core part of this vision is a firm commitment to hands-on, experiential learning in classrooms, with technology used thoughtfully to support, rather than replace, meaningful, in-person teaching and learning experiences.

Over the past four years, we have refined and communicated that vision, shared a multi-year roadmap for implementation, and made intentional, strategic staffing investments to bring it to life. Those investments are now yielding a strong return: our faculty and instructional coaches are translating the Vision Map into daily classroom practice, and we are seeing the impact in teaching, learning, and school culture. The proposed 2026–27 budget continues this multi-year effort by strengthening and extending that work.

The 2026–27 school district budget advances the Vision Map by:

• Increasing opportunities for CHHS students to take rigorous courses aligned with their interests, including new offerings:  Advanced Placement (AP) Business with Personal Finance; AP Psychology; Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Principles of Engineering; Theater; and Modern Journalism
• Continuing access to 7 Interdisciplinary, team-taught classes and 9 dual-enrollment courses for students at CHHS
• Providing for the second year of full implementation of the instructional coaching model, district-wide, which advances teacher practices through genuine collaboration with colleagues
• Investing in modernizing classroom spaces across the district, creating classrooms which align with and enhance flexible, small-group collaboration in learning for all students
• Decreasing spending on educational technology programs, with increased investments in hands-on learning resources 
• Implementing new learning experiences driven by student-interest, including Tiger Tuesday at CHHS and electives experiences at PVC
• Investing further in resources to enhance literacy instruction for students at CET
• Adding new extracurricular clubs based on student interests

The proposed school district budget is not anticipated to increase staffing levels for the upcoming school year.

Over the past several years, the district has made strategic investments in faculty and staff to advance the Vision Map and strengthen teaching and learning across all schools, and those investments have been highly successful. We have built a strong, collaborative faculty and instructional support structure that is bringing our vision for student-centered, interdisciplinary, and hands-on learning to life in classrooms.

The proposed 2026–27 budget focuses on supporting and optimizing the talented team already in place, ensuring educators and staff have the resources and structures they need to continue this work. We are proud of our strong staff retention and our commitment to developing and growing talent from within the district, providing continuity and stability for students and families.
 

The district’s Future Facilities Project (FFP) has been highly successful and comprehensive, with every school in the district benefiting from significant upgrades to learning and gathering spaces, creating more flexible, collaborative, and student-centered environments that support modern teaching and learning. Outdoor spaces were also enhanced, and the Spencer Field Complex officially opened in late summer, providing a state-of-the-art athletic and community facility for students and families.

With the remaining capital project funds, we will focus our final efforts on the priority areas, including increasing air-conditioning capacity at PVC, installing stadium lighting at the tennis courts, and upgrading the CET playground. These projects are funded through remaining capital project funds, not the operational budget, and represent continued progress made possible by careful planning and stewardship of project funds.

With the comprehensive facilities work completed through the capital project, the district is now able to use the 2026–27 operational budget for targeted maintenance and infrastructure needs identified in the Building Condition Survey, allowing us to sustain and build on the significant investments already made. This reflects the district’s long-term, strategic approach to facilities planning—leveraging capital funding for major upgrades and the operational budget to maintain and preserve high-quality learning environments for students and staff.