Superintendent

Spring 2025 Budget Message

On behalf of all of us at Sweet Home, we are proud to present to you our budget for the 2025-2026 school year. This budget was built with the promise of “Every Student, One Community, Ready for the Future” at its forefront. We are excited to report that in building this budget, we focused on our students and what they need to be successful. This budget continues to implement our strategic plan, and support our shared portrait of a Sweet Home graduate. Our students will be equipped to compete on the global stage, as Sweet Home provides a world-class education, in and out of our classrooms.

Our Board of Education guides our work in terms of the budget process. Their input and perspective is critical in building a spending plan that is focused on the student and their development. At the same time, they are the voice of the taxpayer, and they understand that our community faces challenging times. They demanded that this budget maintain and enhance programming and remain fiscally responsible. We believe we did just that.

The budget adopted by the Board of Education and being presented for your approval on May 20 totals $105,576,012, a 5.1 percent increase from the 2024-2025 school year. A continually increasing enrollment, along with inflationary pressures in transportation, special programs, health care benefits, and mandated charter tuitions have resulted in an increase in spending. However, additional revenues in Foundation Aid from New York State, a fully-funded UPK special education program, and additional sales-tax revenue have offset this increase. Combine that with a slight .4 percent increase in the tax levy and managed staffing through attrition, and we have closed any budget gap these inflationary burdens have caused the District.

While the budget may have had its challenges in terms of increased costs, our focus remains on providing students with a world-class 21st century education. In order to do this, our facilities must be positioned to handle our growth and the needs of our students. By the end of this school year, we will announce plans for our next major capital project. Through the ThoughtExchange and stakeholder focus groups, you told us that extra space at our elementary buildings, as well as them being updated for today’s learner, are must haves. This project will deliver just that. Through additions at up to three of our elementary buildings and renovations at all of our elementary buildings, we will meet your demands and the needs of our students. The plan will also address our athletic facilities at the High School, allowing for updated playing surfaces and better usage of our fields. Finally, each building will receive maintenance updates they need to operate in a full and efficient manner.

Leading up to our annual district vote on May 20, we invite all members of our school community to our annual budget hearing and meet the candidate night on May 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the Vergils Community Center at District Office. The Board will also conduct a study session that evening. On May 13 at 6:30 p.m. the Board will hold a voting session where the public can also provide input and feedback on the budget. If between now and then you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the District Office. And don’t forget, anyone in our school community can vote on their favorite Panther to become our official logo of Sweet Home. Check out this edition of the Sweet Home Source to review the top 10 finalists and help make your selection on May 20 at the Vergils Community Center.

We are truly excited for what our future holds, despite the challenges that lie ahead. We will not stop in providing a fair and equitable education for ALL students. We are proudly diverse, and our efforts in promoting all students have lifted every group at Sweet Home. Our work will continue in this area as we believe that all means all. We will strive to be a role model for other Districts and communities as they witness what an incredible, world-class learning experience our students receive by working together as One Community. We are better together.

All of us at Sweet Home thank each and every stakeholder of our District for their continued support. Our community loves our schools, recognizes the power they have to transform our society, and is empowered to put student needs first. We are looking to build on our successes and have a wonderful 2025-2026 school year. And as always…GO PANTHERS!

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael V. Ginestre
Superintendent of Schools