Cherry Valley-Springfield Presents New Budget

CHERRY VALLEY — The Cherry Valley-Springfield Board of Education opened the floor to concerned taxpayers to confess concerns and reservations about the proposed 2024-2025 district budget.

The May 9th school board meeting featured a packed crowd in anticipation of the presentation on the new budget. School principal TheriJo Snyder presented a multi-slide presentation outlining where every dollar and cent is being spent.

CV-S's current budget is $14,768,325, up from $14,601,663 for the 2023-2024 fiscal year. This is a 4% increase over the previous year’s budget. 

The budget has steadily increased over the past four years due to rising costs nationwide and to accommodate the much-needed repairs and upgrades to the school’s property and equipment. 

Other causes for the increase include the recent change to the Foundation Aid formula used, among other extraneous factors. Depending on whether the school adopts a 2% or 2.8% increase in taxes, the average taxpayer will see an increase of as little as $40 over the current cost. 

School board officials expect the previously anticipated loss of over $850,000 in aid to occur as soon as the next fiscal year. The loss of the assistance would profoundly affect school operations, which are already being meticulously planned to produce little impact on the district's operations.

The district currently has 116 employees and encompasses 140 square miles. There are 453 students enrolled from PreK to 12th grade. Fourteen children at this time are prospective additions to the incoming PreK class.

The budget vote is scheduled for May 21st from noon to 8 p.m., and a meeting will take place from 7 to 8 p.m. on the same day. The board encourages people eligible to participate to express their support for the district by voting. 

Seven students stood before the board to present their community service for the community. Many students expressed interest in pursuing undergraduate schools, including the nearby Hamilton College and Hartwick College. Others professed interest in becoming farmers or working in blue-collar fields after graduation.