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2025-2026 Budget Vote

The Budget Vote for the 2025-2026 school year is Tuesday, May 20 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Middle/High School LGI Room.

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2025-2026 Budget Information

2025-2026 Budget Information

Dear Parents/Guardians and Community Members,

Our annual School Budget Vote and Board of Education Election will be held this coming Tuesday, May 20.

This year’s budget presented several significant challenges for us. One of the most impactful is the fact that the District lost more than $300,000 in New York State aid this year. To make up for the loss, we have cut expenses. This year’s budget reflects a 0.22% ($54,108) increase over last year’s budget. The work involved in arriving at that budget included making some difficult decisions, including the reduction of 8 positions. These include:

  • 1 Administrator, resulting in our current High School Principal becoming our Middle/High School Principal
  • 1 Middle/High School Math Teacher, resulting in increased class sizes and the loss of some Academic Intervention Services at the Middle/High School
  • 1 Spanish Teacher, resulting in the loss of Grade 6 Spanish instruction and increased class sizes for other Spanish courses
  • 1 Elementary Teacher, resulting in the loss of our half-day UPK option for parents and the loss of some Academic Intervention Services for elementary students
  • 2 Teacher Aides, resulting in the loss of some classroom supports at the elementary level
  • 1 Facilities position, resulting in our current staff having to pick up additional areas of the buildings and the loss of some flexibility to cover extra events
  • 1 Payroll position, resulting in the District contracting with BOCES to cover payroll responsibilities

The decision not to replace these positions was extremely difficult, as we know there will be an impact on what we are able to do for our students. We recognize that our community is challenging us to cut costs while still offering our students a great education, and these cuts reflect our efforts to address that challenge.

Our budget vote will take place in our Middle/High School Large Instruction Room, located near the Athletic Entrance on our Middle/High School campus. District residents can stop in to vote between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM on Tuesday.

You can find details on the proposed budget, including access to a recorded presentation and a frequently asked question section, on this webpage. If you have any questions about the budget, please reach out to me directly at adoell@bloomfieldcsd.org.

As always, we appreciate your continued partnership and support.

Thank you,

Andy Doell
Superintendent
Bloomfield Central Schools

Budget Presentation and Documents

 

pdf2025 2026 Bloomfield School Budget Presentation pdf2025 26 Budget Workshop April pdf2025-26 Budget Development Workshop - February
pdf2025 26 Budget and Required Attachments pdf2025 26BudgetDevelopment Reserves pdf2025-26 Budget Development Workshop - January
pdf2025 2026 Proposed Budget Presentation pdf2025-26 Budget Development Workshop - December

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes. With a tax levy increase of 2.1%, the 2025-2026 budget does not exceed the tax cap.

  • A tax levy is the total amount of money a school district needs to raise through property taxes to fund its budget after considering all other sources of revenue (like state aid). It’s a specific dollar amount and is subject to limitations set forth in New York State’s tax cap formula.

    A tax rate is the rate at which property is taxed to meet that levy. It’s usually expressed as a dollar amount per thousand of assessed property value. The tax rate is calculated by dividing the total tax levy by the total taxable assessed value of all properties in the school district. This rate is then applied to the assessed value of individual properties to determine their share of the tax levy.

    The true value tax rate, also sometimes called the full value tax rate, is the tax rate expressed as a percentage of the actual market value of a property. It is the rate of the entire school community if every house were assessed at a 100% market value. It provides a standardized way for municipalities to compare tax rates across multiple towns. Some houses in the Bloomfield School District may have a higher tax rate, and some may have a lower rate, depending on their town’s equalization rate.

  • No. We are not increasing staffing for the next school year. In addition, there are no projected layoffs, however, we have elected not to replace several open positions.

  • No, the school budget has no influence over housing assessments. The assessed value of a house does impact the amount of taxes a homeowner pays. Please refer to question #2, which explains the difference between the tax levy and tax rate.

  • Although we are not increasing the size of our staff, the cost to keep existing staff is increasing. For example, we have significant cost increases in areas such as BOCES services, health insurance, retirement expenses, utilities, and general liability insurance, to name a few.

  • If the Budget was not approved, the District would have to review the sustainability of any non-curricular activities, including clubs and athletic programs. Additionally, the District would need to cut supply and equipment purchases, professional development offerings, and possibly eliminate non-mandatory instructional program offerings. The proposed budget is a .22% increase ($54,108) over last year’s budget. A contingent budget would be a .89% decrease ($215,277), the difference being covered through cuts in supplies, equipment, professional development offerings, extra-curricular offerings, etc.  

  • The Library Budget and the School Budget are not related. The Library Budget has its own implications related to tax impact. School Districts are required to hold the Library Votes within their community and this could be done in conjunction with their budget vote or at a different time. Bloomfield has traditionally held the two votes in conjunction with one another so that the community can vote on the two budgets at the same time.

    In 2019, the East Bloomfield Municipal Public Library proposed it become a “School District” Library. The difference between a Municipal Public Library and a School District Library involves how the budget is supported and who can vote for the budget. A Municipal Library is supported by a Municipality and only those living within the Municipality support the budget and can vote on the budget. A School District Library is supported by those who live within the District and anyone living in the District is able to vote on the budget.

    Click here for a full comparison of the differences in the types of Public Libraries.

Absentee and Early Mail Ballots

 

Residents of the Bloomfield Central School District who wish to vote by absentee ballot or early mail ballot may request an application. To apply:

  1. Click on the appropriate box below to download and print the application.
  2. Complete the application.
  3. Return the completed application by mail to:

Kristin Warren, District Clerk
Bloomfield Central School District
45 Maple Avenue, Suite A
Bloomfield, NY 14469


Important Deadlines:

  • If you would like your ballot mailed to you, your completed application must be received by the District Clerk by Tuesday, May 13.
  • If you plan to pick up your ballot in person at the Office of the District Clerk, your completed application must be received by Monday, May 19, during regular office hours (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).


The District Clerk’s Office is located at 45 Maple Avenue, Bloomfield, NY (behind the Elementary School). If you have any questions, please contact the District Clerk at (585) 657-6121 ext. 4004.

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