More than 20 attendees wearing T-shirts saying “Pine Plains Federation of Educators”— the local teachers’ union affiliated with New York State United Teachers — packed the Board of Education’s budget workshop on Wednesday, March 19, concerned about the possible shuttering of Cold Spring Early Learning Center.
With the Pine Plains Central School District’s declining student enrollment — a drop of nearly 50% since 2004 — and the possible loss of $4 million in Foundation Aid from the state, the district is considering downsizing from three school buildings to two. “We’re concerned,” said PPFE president Renee Rundall, a veteran third-grade teacher. “We need to keep informed about what’s going on.”
Rundall added that the union wants to work with the school board and the administration; PPFE representatives meet monthly with Superintendent Brian Timm: “We provide him with feedback. Sometimes numbers don’t relate to needs.”
Addressing school consolidation, Board of Education President Amie Fredericks said, “This is a bigger conversation than just the seven of us sitting here. We can’t hold too many public forums. I’m interested in knowing the impact on transportation and staff.” Board member Jean Stapf added, “We need a list of things we need to research, like checking the cost of fixing Seymour Smith and adding a playground.” (Timm said it could take an estimated $25 million to upgrade the intermediate learning center and sustain it for the next 20 years.)
Board member Fred “Chip” Couse proposed that no changes be made in school buildings in 2025–26. “We have enough money that we should wait one year to look at this stuff no matter what happens to Foundation Aid,” he said. Timm agreed: “We will take a full year no matter what happens to [state funding], and hold public forums starting in the fall. Hopefully by then we’ll have a better understanding of what we’re facing.”
Timm summarized information from the previous budgetary workshops about the district’s fiscal challenges. “This really all started due to the [potential] decrease in Foundation Aid,” he said. “I anticipate that whether it happens this year or the next, the funding will be reduced. Tonight I want to have an open conversation about what this all means and what we want to do about it.
Business Official Laura Rafferty discussed the district’s proposed 2025-26 budget totaling $38,712,336. “Expenditures show a moderate increase across the board of 2.71%, but last year the increase was higher at 3.5%,” she said. The tax levy will rise by 3.2%, which provides $27,885,802 in district funding. “That’s well under the tax cap of 3.57%,” said Rafferty. The amount of state aid, if fully funded, is $8,526,534. Rafferty said it appears as a 31% increase over last year because the 2024–25 budget was initially calculated without Foundation Aid.
Timm said, “I want to emphasize that we’re still waiting for Gov. Hochul’s April 1 budget. The revenue number in the first draft is assuming state aid is fully funded. We’ll have to make adjustments depending on what happens.”
Business Official Matthew Metzger and District Superintendent Jodi Delucia presented the Dutchess Boards of Cooperative Educational Services 2025-26 proposed administrative budget totaling $6,858,000, a 4.54% increase over last year. The Pine Plains school district’s portion of the cost is $131,762. This covers BOCES staffing costs, but doesn’t include many other services like transportation and technology services, which each district tailors to suit their students’ needs.
The athletic department’s draft 2025–26 budget, presented by Athletic Director Les Funk, is $69,375, the same as in 2024–25. Rafferty reminded the board that the total did not include an additional $57,750 to pay for sports officials (referees) provided by BOCES.
Director Richard Harlin reviewed the Information Technology Department’s proposed budget of $343,200, a 2.2% increase over last year. Harlin listed a number of crucial upgrades needed for the phone system, cybersecurity, and classroom PCs, which he said are at least a decade old. “We need AI-enabled PCs,” he said. “They are feasible, doable, and upgradeable. They’ll last us into the foreseeable future.” The proposed IT budget does not include the expected $563,798 to cover BOCES services — a 5% increase from 2024 — such as hardware and software maintenance, broadband access, and technology services.
The board approved two voter propositions that will appear on the district ballot on May 20. The first creates a new reserve fund for buildings and facilities improvements. “The two old reserve funds from 2019 and 2021 are expiring after five years,” Timm said. “We want to roll that money into a new reserve lasting 10 years, so we’ll have money for capital projects without needing loans or having to ask taxpayers for money.”
The other proposition will approve the purchase of two 71-passenger school buses for a total cost of $328,326 and an eight-passenger Chevy Suburban at $68,040. “The district is [retiring] five old buses, as we work to right-size our bus fleet,” Timm said. He will be meeting with State Sen. Shelley Mayer (D-37), the Committee of Education chair. “The state now mandates that any bus purchase after July 1, 2027, must be electric. We need a longer runway.”
Timm added that four unused snow days will be given back: Spring break will be extended two days, through Tuesday, April 21; Memorial Day holiday will start one day early on Friday, May 23, and end a day later, on Tuesday, May 27.