Although there is still more than three months until the public will vote on the Liberty Central School District budget, district officials have been hard at work for months to begin crafting a budget that will maintain programs and balance fiscal responsibility to the taxpayers.

The process began in October when Assistant Superintendent for Business Laurene McKenna requested 2025-26 proposals from administrators.

In December, Ms. McKenna presented the rollover budget information to the Board of Education. Those items include expenses that are carried over from year-to-year such as salaries, health care costs and other contractual obligations.

Preliminary state aid proposals were released last month. Under this proposal, Liberty CSD would see a 3.02% — or more than $1 million — increase in Foundation Aid, the main source of funding from the state. The district did see a loss in reimbursements from capital projects, but that is because a gap in capital project outlays during the current fiscal year.

The first presentation of the budget proposal, which will provide a conceptual framework for the final budget, will go before the Board of Education on Tuesday, Feb. 25.

“Our goal is to maintain the programs put in place during COVID, which used funds from the American Rescue Plan and Every Student Succeeds acts, even though that funding has dropped,” Ms. McKenna said.

The budget will hold true to the district’s strategic plan and continue investments in our students’ education following the District Comprehensive Improvement and building-level plans, Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said.

Once the budget is finalized, the district will plan a series of informational sessions in the community that will be communicated as they are set.

The budget vote will take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, in the high school Media Center. For more budget information, visit the district’s budget page.