FAYETTE — Town and school officials met for a joint session to review the upcoming Fayette Central School budget, with Select Board Chair Lacy Badeau and Vice Chair Michael Carlson joining the Budget Committee and School Committee. The review focused on funding shortfalls, rising tuition costs, and a long-term plan to incrementally raise taxes to avoid steep increases in future years.

Superintendent Courtney Lyons explained the key drivers behind the budget increase. “This year’s budget will have the Essential Programs and Services [EPS] formula that the state decides on; what is our state share and how much we have to raise locally,” Lyons said. “Our required local share was $56,000 more than last year. The state share is a lot less. We are only getting 22% of the state funding this year compared to 29% last year.”

Lyons attributed the funding shift to an increase in the state’s valuation of the town and noted the district plans to use $200,000 from its undesignated fund balance to offset the tax burden. “We have not raised local taxes for many years now,” Lyons said. “We need to slowly raise our taxes in regard to school so that we don’t have a hit one year where we have to raise the taxes over the top. Our goal is to carry this budget number forward.”

She added that there are no new teaching positions in this year’s proposal and that tuition costs rose sharply. “Tuition costs went up 14% this year,” Lyons said. “Not something we typically see. That was a big hit. Our tuition numbers do not look like there will be a decrease any time soon.”

Robinson provided additional financial context. “Every once in a while someone will ask, ‘what is the value of a mil?’ Or, a ‘dollar on the tax rate?’ Today it is approximately $235,000,” he said. “Every school year, you can’t predict the comings and goings of life in Fayette … Those costs can exceed a mil if you have a student with significant special needs move in.”

He praised the school leadership’s financial planning: “The school committee and superintendent and business manager are very mindful of taxation and trying to think of a way that the town and school are in the best financial position,” Robinson said. “It’s an opportunity to secure a path forward that protects the taxpayer from the unanticipated challenges; because they are going to happen. They happened this year.”

Badeau confirmed with Lyons that the budget reflected a $123,000 increase.

Key dates for budget finalization were outlined:
• April 29: Public hearing at Starling Hall, 6 p.m., followed by the regular Select Board meeting at 7 p.m.
• May 13: Selectmen finalize municipal budget articles.
• June 10: Voting takes place at Starling Hall from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by the annual town meeting at 6 p.m.
Robinson noted that Mary Denison was not available to moderate on June 12, the original planned date for the town meeting so it was moved to June 10.

“Thank you all, we will see you soon,” Badeau said in closing to the School Committee.

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