AuSable Valley Middle-High School (News photo — Andy Flynn)

Boards of education in the AuSable Valley and Keene school districts held public hearings on Monday, May 8 for their proposed 2023-24 budgets, both of which increase spending and taxes for the upcoming fiscal year compared to their budgets this year.

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AuSable Valley

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The AuSable Valley Central School District is proposing to spend $36,506,950 in the 2023-24 school year, a 4.3% increase from this year’s $34,977,108 budget. The district expects to cover more than half of these costs with about $19.3 million in federal and state aid, while the rest of the budget would largely be covered by district taxes and $1,025,000 from the district’s reserves. The district is also anticipating some miscellaneous revenues next year from a BOCES refund, interest on investments and taxes, and the use of district facilities.

Keene Central School (News photo — Antonio Olivero)

The district is proposing to levy — or collect — $15,645,000 in taxes from district property owners in 2023-24. The 2.97% increase in taxes from last year’s tax levy of $15,193,500 is below the district’s 3.09% tax cap assigned by the state this year.

A home in the district valued at $100,000 would see an estimated $32 increase in taxes for basic STAR recipients, according to budget documents. The same home would net an estimated $9 increase in taxes for senior enhanced STAR recipients.

The district’s budget documents are available at http://tinyurl.com/yk9v2hpa.

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Keene

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The Keene Central School District is proposing to spend $7,870,480 in the 2023-24 school year, a 2.4% increase from this year’s budget of $7,680,182. The district is proposing to cover about 83% of its expenses next year with about $6,570,143 in taxes from district taxpayers. The district would also use about $400,000 from its reserves and more than $817,000 in state and federal aid to balance its budget.

The increase in taxes, an around 6.8% hike from the $6,570,143 in taxes collected through this year’s budget, exceeds the state’s 1.2% tax cap set for the district. In a letter to the community, KCSD Superintendent Dan Mayberry wrote that he believes the district needs to “shift away from using fund balance (savings) to balance expenses and revenues in district budgets, as this model is not sustainable.”

District property owners in Keene would have a tax rate of $11.95 per $1,000 in assessed value under the proposed budget, while district property owners in the town of Jay would have a tax rate of around $9.42 per $1,000 in assessed value, according to budget documents. These rates could change after Essex County releases updated tax rolls later this year.

Because the proposed tax levy exceeds the state tax cap for the district, the budget will require a supermajority vote of 60% or more to pass.

Budget documents are available at keenecentralschool.org.

Vote

Statewide school budget vote day is May 16. Voting hours will be held from noon to 9 p.m. Keene voters will submit their ballots at the KCS main entrance/commons, and AuSable voters will place votes at the middle-high school cafeteria.

In addition to the budget, Keene and AuSable voters will see board of education vacancies on their ballots.

In AuSable, Amanda Whisher is running unopposed for a three-year term. Current Vice President James Martineau, whose term expires June 30, is not running for reelection.

In Keene, Eugene Chin, incumbent Lauren Crowl and Janelle Schwartz are running for two board of education vacancies. Current Vice President Sheryl Quinn is not running for reelection this year.

Keene will also have a proposition on the ballot. The Keene proposition will ask voters whether or not the district should create a $1 million capital reserve to purchase equipment — like buses — and make capital improvements to the building and grounds.