MCS Voters Approve Budget, Buses - Elect Hoerz, Andrew to the Board

By David Avitabile

MIDDLEBURGH - Middleburgh Central School District voters Tuesday approved a $25.1 million budget for the 2025-26 school year by a margin of 267 to 128.

The budget increases spending by .80 percent, or $200,000, from the current year, and includes a tax levy increase of $156,144 or 1.5 percent. The tax levy increase is less than the district’s maximum allowable levy state limit of 2.29%.

Newcomer Basil Wesley Andrew and incumbent Vicki Hoerz were elected to three-year seats on the Middleburgh Board of Education. Deb Bechtold did not run for re-election.

Middleburgh residents also approved a proposition for the purchase of two 65-passenger diesel buses with luggage compartments and one 30-passenger wheelchair-accessible bus, not to exceed $484,000, by a county of 273 to 122.

Voters approved the proposal of a transfer, not to exceed $600,000, to the Repair Reserve Fund to cover any one-time unanticipated repair expenditures for the upcoming year, 300 to 95.

“We are grateful to the Middleburgh community for their continued support of our schools and students. Thank you to everyone who took the time to vote and help ensure a strong future for our district,” Superintendent Mark Place said.

When the school board adopted the spending plan in April, officials noted that MCS has the lowest tax increase in the area for the second year in a row.

In March, board members faced a budget gap of $277,000 and agreed to eliminate the gap by reducing spending and using funds from two reserves. To eliminate the rest of the budget gap, the district used about $65,000 from the Employee Retirement System and $100,000 from the Teachers Retirement System.

Spending was reduced to $25.1 million and funds from the TRS and the ERS to eliminate the gap.

If there is additional state aid for the district, officials could reduce the amount of reserve funding by the amount of the additional Foundation aid.

Currently, state aid revenue for the district stands at $12.7 million, down $107,000 or 0.84 percent from this year.

Officials originally had been looking at a rollover budget that totaled $25.46 million, about $556,000 or 2.33 percent more than the current budget.