New York State Legislature and Gov. Kathy Hochul Agree on $237 Billion 2024-25 State Budget, Includes Hold Harmless Law in Foundation Aid for School Districts
Next steps for Hudson City School District’s 2024-25 Budget Process
April 22, 2024
PDF: 4-22-24 Letter on NYS Budget Update and Next Steps for Hudson’s 2024-25 Budget Process
Dear Hudson City School District Community,
On Saturday, April 20, 2024, the New York State Legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul agreed on a $237 billion budget, which includes School Aid for the 2024-25 school year.
Originally, the Governor proposed considerable cuts to State Foundation Aid, which makes up a significant portion of revenue for all school districts.
The agreed upon budget restores the Hold Harmless law for school districts. This provision states that school districts cannot receive less Foundation Aid from the state than it did in the previous year. By restoring this law, the District will receive the exact same amount of Foundation Aid as it did for the 2023-24 school year ($17,864,260).
The final state budget also includes a study for Foundation Aid. The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government of the State University of New York will be conducting a comprehensive study of the Foundation Aid formula. We will continue to monitor developments and will communicate any updates as necessary.
We take our role as the financial stewards of our community very seriously. The District, along with members of the Board of Education, Questar III BOCES, NYSED, and more, worked tirelessly with elected officials to advocate for change. We thank everyone, including our community members, who pushed for change and reduced the impact of the Governor’s original plan for School Aid.
Next Steps
- Hudson City School District community members will have the opportunity to listen to updates to the proposed 2024-25 budget over the next few weeks. The Board of Education will receive an updated 2024-25 budget presentation on Tuesday, April 23, 2024 at 6 p.m. in the Hudson Junior/Senior High School Auditorium during a special Board of Education meeting. Additionally, the Board will be voting on the Rensselaer-Columbia-Greene County BOCES 2024-25 budget at the meeting. This meeting can be attended in-person or viewed virtually via YouTube livestream at this link (https://www.youtube.com/@hudsoncityschooldistrict182/featured).
- On Thursday, April 25, 2024, the District is hosting a Voter Registration Day from 4-8 p.m. in the Hudson Junior/Senior High School Auditorium. More information on this event can be found at this link (https://www.hudsoncsd.org/2024/04/16/hudson-csd-voter-registration-day/).
- Chief Financial Officer Tabatha Biggane and I will deliver a 2024-25 budget presentation to community members on Tuesday, April 30, 2024 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the Hudson Area Library, located at 51 N. 5th Street in Hudson. This presentation is open to the public and free to attend.
- “Conversations with the Superintendent” sessions featuring budget presentations will be taking place on Monday, May 6, 2024 at the Greenport Community Center, located at 500 Town Hall Drive in Hudson, and on May 16, 2024 at the Hudson City Department of Youth, located at 18 S. 3rd Street in Hudson. As always, these sessions are open to the public and free to attend.
- The May 7, 2024 Board of Education meeting will be highlighted by a public hearing. Community members will vote on the proposed budget on May 21, 2024 from at 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at various polling locations. The voting locations and voting information can be viewed at this link (https://www.hudsoncsd.org/district/budget/voting-information/).
- Along with the 2024-25 budget, District voters will vote on candidates for two (2) seats to the Board of Education. The terms are three (3) years in length and end on June 30, 2027. Board of Education nominating petitions are due to Hudson City School District Board of Education Clerk Tracy Gaffney on May 1, 2024. Additional information can be found at this link (https://www.hudsoncsd.org/2024/03/01/join-the-hcsd-board-of-education-nominating-petitions-due-5-7/).
I encourage you to visit the Hudson City School District website (https://www.hudsoncsd.org/district/budget/2024-25-budget/) for the most recent budget presentations and information, and exercise your right to vote on the school budget and Board of Education members on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Dr. Juliette Pennyman
Superintendent of Schools
Hudson City School District
#HudsonTogetherWeCan!