Schoharie School Voters OK Budget, Building Project

SCHOHARIE - Schoharie Central School District voters Tuesday approved a $29.8 million budget for the 2026-27 school year by a vote of 226 to 90.

The fiscal plan, which maintains all programming, has an overall increase of 5.24 percent – or $1.5 million – from the current year. The tax levy would change by 2.95 percent. This is below the state mandated tax levy limit, or “tax cap,” and equates to an additional $264,248 being spread out among all taxable parcels in the entire district. The tax levy is the overall amount raised throughout the entire district. The tax levy increase is below the current 3.26 percent inflation rate.

Voters also approved a $3.9 million Capital project by a vote of 213 to 103. The project addresses needs identified in the district’s recent five-year building condition survey and will be funded through a $500,000 transfer from the district’s capital reserve fund and state aid. There will be no impact on the tax levy.

The bulk of the project involves the removal of two fuel oil tanks that have surpassed their expected life span. These two tanks – one that fuels the junior-senior High School and the other that fuels the Elementary School – will be replaced with one propane tank that fuels the entire building.

Voters elected newcomer Jessica Kirby and re-elected John Florussen to the Schoharie CSD Board of Education. There were no other candidates.They also approved a bus proposition by a vote of 231 to 86 and approved a library proposition by a vote of 221 to 96