2024-25 Budget Information | Budget Development Calendar | Three-part Budget Summary | Budget Q&A | Board Candidates | Absentee/Early Voting Ballots | Military Application Ballots | Election Inspectors | STAR Program | Budget Documents
Public schools are among the most significant investments that any community makes collectively. District leaders work to make the most effective use of resources to benefit students, to develop and manage the budget in a responsible and transparent manner and to be accountable to taxpayers.
Each spring, the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Board of Education adopts a proposed budget for the next school year that the community then votes upon.
Proposed 2024-25 budget at-a-glance
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- Proposed Budget: $71,356,980
- Budget Change: $1,922,535
- Tax Levy Change: $808,682/1.82%
- Estimated tax impact on $100,000 home: $25.28 Year/$2.11 Month
What’s on the ballot?
Proposition 1: 2024-25 budget
Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District residents will vote Tuesday, May 21, on a proposed $71,356,980 million spending plan for the 2024-25 school year. It calls for a $1,922,535 or 2.77% increase in spending over the current year’s budget.
Funding for the 2024-25 school year would come from four areas: state aid ($21,763,861), tax levy ($45,358,697), fund balance and reserves ($2,070,000), and other revenue from interest income and other miscellaneous sources ($2,164,422).
The tax levy is the total amount of money collected from district property owners to support the budget. The proposed tax levy increase is at the district’s state-imposed limit, or cap, which is an increase of 1.82%, compared to the current school year’s tax levy. The estimated projected tax per $100,000 of assessed home value with basic STAR exemption is $1,417.76, which would be a monthly increase of $2.11 or $25.28 annually.
Because the proposal is within the district’s tax levy limit, a simple majority of voters would need to approve the budget for it to pass. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., May 21, at the J-D High School gymnasium.
Proposition 2: Bus Purchases
The district is proposing the purchase of four new school buses. This will keep the district’s bus replacement plan on track, which aims to keep maintenance costs low and provide safe transportation for students.
The district plans to buy three 65-passenger 2025 Bluebird buses for $163,223 each and one 48-passenger 2025 Bluebird wheelchair accessible bus for $194,688 for a total of $684,357.
If voters approve the proposed purchases on May 21, the state would reimburse the district over a five-year period for approximately 71% of the cost of the new vehicles.
Proposition 3: Board of Education Student Member
On May 21, voters will decide whether the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Board of Education will continue the practice of including a non-voting student member on the board.
Proposition 4: Funding Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville
When Jamesville-DeWitt residents vote on the proposed 2024-25 school budget, they will also have the opportunity to vote on a proposition to levy and collect a tax in the amount of $1,612,518 for the Community Library of DeWitt & Jamesville. New York state education law allows libraries to place a funding proposition on school district ballots and requires districts, at the libraries’ requests, to levy and collect taxes for libraries.
3 open seats on the J-D Board of Education
Click here for candidate information
When is the vote?
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- Tuesday, May 21, 2024
- 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.
- J-D High School Gymnasium (6845 Edinger Drive)
- Signs will direct you to the polls
More Information
The public hearing on the budget is scheduled for May 13 at 7 p.m. at the District Office located at J-D High School. You can also attend this virtually via Zoom.
A community budget newsletter and postcard will be mailed in May.
Budget News Updates
Budget Development Calendar
Below is the Jamesville-DeWitt Board of Education meeting and budget development calendar for the 2023-24 school year. All meetings begin at 7 p.m. in the District Office unless otherwise noted. You can also attend via Zoom.
November
- Nov. 13: Regular Meeting (Moses-DeWitt Elementary)
- Nov. 20: Finance Committee (Review Budget Calendar)
December
- Dec. 4: Regular Meeting (Budget Calendar Approval)
- Dec. 14: Board of Education Retreat
- Dec. 18: Regular Meeting (Tecumseh Elementary)
January
- Jan. 8: Regular Meeting (J-D High School)
- Jan. 22: Finance Committee
- Jan. 29: Regular Meeting (Prelim. Revenues and Expenses)
February
- Feb. 5: Finance Committee
- Feb. 12: Regular Meeting (Tax Levy Limit and Non-Instructional Budget)
- Feb. 26: Finance Committee
March
- March 1: Tax Levy Limit due
- March 4: Regular Meeting (Jamesville)(State Aid Update and Instructional Budget)
- March 11: Finance Committee
- March 18: Regular Meeting (State Aid Update and Instructional Budget)
- March 21: Board of Education Retreat
- March 25: Finance Committee
April
- April 1: Regular Meeting (TBD State Aid Update)(Legal Notice of Budget Vote and Propositions)
- April 4: Public Forum
- April 8: Finance Committee
- April 17: Regular Meeting (Three-part budget; Adopt Budget & Property Tax Report Card; Nomination petitions due by 5 p.m. on April 22 (April 22 is last day BOE may adopt budget)
May
- May 6: Budget Statement w/ attachments made available
- May 13: Budget Hearing & Regular Meeting
- May 14: Mail Budget Notice to District Residents
- May 21: Budget Vote and BOE Election
June
- June 3: Regular Meeting
School Budgets in 60 Seconds
Watch the video below for a quick overview of how school budgets are developed in New York
Three-part Budget Summary
All New York state public schools are required by law to report their spending in three categories: administrative, capital, and program. This will be shared here and in the district’s annual budget newsletter.
Administrative Component: $6,546,000/9%
The administrative component of the budget represents district and building oversight along with support services for all areas of operations. It represents 9% of the proposed budget and includes the superintendent and district office staff, building principals, clerical employees along with general areas of expenditures such as legal representation, district communications, information technology systems, audit services and various insurance coverages. The administrative component would decrease 0.73% from 2023-24. By controlling administrative costs, the district is able to dedicate more of its resources directly into the classroom.
Capital Component: $11,699,318/16%
The capital component of the budget represents the expenses required to operate, maintain and secure district facilities. Other items required to be reported here include debt service and funds transferred to the Capital Fund for work to be performed on district facilities. The capital component represents 16% of the total budget. The capital component also includes funding to enhance security throughout the district, along with preventative maintenance on operating systems including boilers, HVAC, fire alarms and communication systems. The capital component would increase 2.1% from 2023-24. You can learn about specific projects on page 3.
Program Component: $53,111,661/75%
The proposed program budget reflects the district’s commitment to excellence. The program budget represents 75% of the total budget and includes instructional costs such as teachers and classroom support, pupil support services, co-curricular activities, athletics and the operational cost of transporting students. The budget also maintains all existing programs including art, music, extra-curricular activities like drama clubs, and athletics. Jamesville-DeWitt dedicates maximum resources to classroom instruction and aims to provide an exceptional educational program focused on meeting the needs of the district’s diverse student population.
Budget Q&A
What will my actual tax rate be?
Tax rates are calculated in August once property values are finalized by town, county or state assessors in addition to receiving final equalization rates from the New York State Office of Real Property Tax Services. The school tax levy is only one portion of the tax rate formula. The estimated projected tax per $100,000 of assessed home value with basic STAR exemption is $1,417.76, which would be a monthly increase of $2.11 or $25.28 annually.
What happens if the budget is defeated?
Under New York state law, if the school budget is defeated, the board of education can either put the same or a modified budget up for another vote, or adopt a contingent budget. If residents defeat the proposed budget during a second vote, the board must adopt a contingent budget.
What is a contingent budget?
State law mandates that under a contingent budget a school district must adopt a budget with no tax levy increase and eliminate all non contingent expenses, such as certain student supplies, school bus replacements, capital outlay projects, certain equipment purchases and the free community use of school facilities. The administrative budget would also be subject to certain restrictions. If J-D adopts a contingent budget for 2024-25, it would reduce the budget to $70,334,278. The adoption of a contingent budget and subsequent reductions would be at the discretion of the board of education.
Board of Education Candidates
On May 21, district residents will elect three members to the Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District Board of Education. Two candidates filed nominating petitions. Voters will also have the option to submit a write-in candidate. The three candidates with the highest number of votes will fill the available seats. If a third candidate cannot be determined from write-in votes, the Board of Education will select the best process to fill the open seat as outlined by New York state law. Each term will run from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2027.
Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the J-D High School Gymnasium, 6845 Edinger Dr., DeWitt. More information about the proposed budget and the vote is available on the Budget and Finance web page.
The board of education candidates are listed below in alphabetical order:
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- Lynn Cortese
- Jalal Zoghby
Information about each candidate is below in the same order:
Lynn Cortese is seeking her first term on the J-D Board of Education. She is an 8-year resident of the district. She and her husband Ben Cortese have two children: one at Moses DeWitt and the other is in the J-D UPK program at RECC. Prior to the summer of 2022, she was the Director of the Office of Access, Opportunity, and Achievement at Ithaca College for five years. Her responsibilities included grant writing and reporting, budget oversight, and developing partnerships with key student service offices, administrators, and faculty. She has a master’s degree in Social Work from Syracuse University, a bachelor of science degree in Psychology and Social Work from SUNY Brockport, and a high school diploma from Scotia-Glenville. She serves as the Moses DeWitt Parent-Teacher-Student-Association secretary and also serves on the CNYLA Advisory Board.
Candidate statement:
As the daughter of an elementary school teacher, my passion for education began at a very young age, inspiring me to pursue a degree in social work and a career in higher education focused on increasing educational access, cultivating student success, and breaking down barriers to academic achievement. My experiences in data-driven decision-making, budget development and management, and engaging key stakeholders to enhance student outcomes will foster success as a board member. If elected, I will listen to the concerns of all constituents and seek collaborative, creative solutions in service of our students and school community.
Jalal Zoghby is seeking his second term on the J-D Board of Education. He is an 18-year resident of the district. He and his wife Eileen have four children, two of which are still attending J-D schools: one at J-DHS and one at Moses DeWitt. He attended high school at Saint Joseph School in Lebanon and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in international business from Syracuse University through Utica College. He is a self-employed licensed sales representative providing insurance and financial service through a State Farm Insurance office that he runs with his wife. He has taught religious education at Holy Cross Church for the past 23 years.
Candidate statement:
What I do professionally is listen to people’s concerns and needs and help them find solutions. As an immigrant, I understand that culture and diversity is what makes up our community. When working with clients, not everyone responds the same way. I carefully deal with individuals on their terms, so we can work together to solve problems. This is how I approach raising my children. As a father of four with a special needs child who had medical challenges, I quickly understood that every child has different needs. I will use this knowledge combined with the experience that I gained over the past three years as a school board member to help make decisions that benefit our district.
Absentee/Early Voting Ballots
New this year: all qualified Jamesville-DeWitt voters are eligible to vote with a mail-in ballot. Applications are available for early voting and absentee ballots.
Early voting ballots: all qualified district residents are eligible to vote early with a mail-in ballot for any reason.
Absentee ballots: voters must complete an absentee application and state the reason they will not be able to appear in person on the day of the district election/vote. An absentee ballot can be used if a qualified district resident is a patient in a hospital or unable to appear because of illness or disability; is required or on vacation outside the country; or is detained in jail awaiting conviction for an offense other than a felony. Forms returned without this information will be processed as an early mail ballot. If you are registered as a permanently disabled absentee voter with the Onondaga County Board of Elections, an absentee ballot will automatically be provided to you.
Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk at least seven days (May 14) before the election/vote if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election/vote (May 20) if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter.
Completed ballots must be received by the District Clerk by 5 p.m. on the day of the vote, May 21. A secured drop-off box is located outside the district office at J-D High School.
For more information, contact Tish Hauser at thauser@jd.cnyric.org or 315-445-8304. You can also visit the district office at 6845 Edinger Drive, DeWitt, NY.
Military Application Ballots
Members of the United States Armed Forces may request an application for a military ballot to vote in the upcoming Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District budget and board of education election on May 21. Please request applications by contacting Tish Hauser at thauser@jd.cnyric.org or 315-445-8304.
For a military voter to be issued a military ballot, the District Clerk must receive a valid ballot application no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 26, 2024.
If you have any questions please call the Tish Hauser at 315-445-8304.
Election Inspectors needed for 2024-25 school budget and board of elections vote
The Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District is looking for Election Inspectors to help out during the upcoming 2024-25 school budget and board of elections vote on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at J-D High School (6845 Edinger Drive).
Election Inspectors are needed for two-hour shifts between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. They will help sign voters in and direct them through the voting process.
If you have any questions or would like to sign-up please contact Tish Hauser at thauser@jd.cnyric.org or 315-445-8304.
Your help is greatly appreciated!
STAR Program
Homeowners who meet certain eligibility requirements through the New York State School Tax Relief Program (STAR) can have a portion of their home’s assessed value exempt from school property taxes. Learn more about the STAR program.