The Pine Plains Central School District Board of Education reviewed its adopted 2025-26 budget of $38,712,336 and considered capital projects at its meeting on Wednesday, May 7.
The meeting was preceded by a public hearing on the budget. There were no comments.
The budget, presented by Business Official Laura Refferty, marks a 2.7% increase over 2024-25 — lower than last year’s 3.5% rise.
The district’s tax levy will climb 3.2%, generating $27,885,802 in local revenue, which is well under the state’s 3.57% tax cap.
Nearly half of PPCSD’s anticipated 2025-26 state funding comes from an anticipated $4 million in Foundation Aid. But Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2025-26 budget — expected on April 1 — has not yet been approved by the legislature. Rafferty said, “The legislature approved another extender [stopgap funding measure] through today. I have had no further word.” Hochul’s spending plan has been held up by a number of issues, including a debate over the restriction of smartphone use in public schools.
Superintendent Brian Timm turned to a discussion of potential district capital projects as part of his facilities planning workshop. Timm said that the Internal Facilities Committee — which includes board members — has met for months to choose the projects and determine spending. “The committee started with an initial budget of $22 million; we’ve worked and pared it down to $12.9 million. I want to emphasize that it’s still in the draft phase,” he said.
According to Timm, $11 million would be used to cover elevator and roof repair and for a sports package at the high school — upgrades he said are desperately needed. “The track has had no attention in 20 years,” he said.
The remaining $1.9 million would be used to repair Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center’s facade. Committee member Fred “Chip” Couse said, “The fixes on the Seymour Smith are for safety — to prevent the facade from falling.” No money would be spent on Cold Spring Early Learning Center.
The district’s architect, Scott Wolfe, director of construction management with CSArch, detailed the committee’s capital project plan. “I met regularly with the committee to prioritize the scope of these projects,” he said. “The schools’ needs must be balanced with the financial impact.”
Wolfe said the elevator at Stissing Mountain High School needs modernization (“Its parts are at the end of life”) and half of the roof needs to be overhauled, its warranty expired. According to Wolfe, the committee decided to retrofit the oldest existing part of the roof. Retrofitting — application of a high-performance coating to the old roof guaranteed for 20 years — would cost an estimated $5.3 million. “That is $1.4 million less expensive than ripping off the old roof and replacing it,” he said.
Wolfe gave a list of high school physical education projects, which accounted for nearly half of the $11 million draft budget, including refurbishing the running track, replacing the athletic track and field lighting, tennis court reconstruction, replacing the stadium scoreboard, building a concession pavilion with toilets, refinishing the varsity gym floor, and replacing the bleachers.
A courtyard update was also discussed. “We could create a gathering space for students, an outdoor classroom or for receptions after auditorium events,” Wolfe said. At a projected cost of $600,000, the plan included covered areas with detachable tarp-like roofs for windy or snowy conditions.
Timm said, “I see the courtyard as a question between need and want. I’ve wanted it redone ever since I’ve been in this chair; now I can’t believe I’m leaning toward pulling it out of the budget.” Board member Jean Stapf thought its value to the students and the school was worth the comparatively modest investment.
Stapf also asked to see details of all the capital projects the committee had considered. “We need to know exactly how much needs to be spent on each school in the near future,” she said. Stapf has been concerned at previous meetings about the potential $25 million price tag Timm had quoted to refurbish Seymour Smith, given the possibility that the district may have to consolidate three school buildings to two, due to the drop in student numbers.
New York state requires voter approval of all capital projects; Wolfe suggested holding the vote in October. If approved, construction wouldn’t start until April 2027, due to the time needed for design, obtaining permits, and contract bidding.
According to Couse, the last referendum was about six years ago — to revitalize the high school auditorium and to repair the roofs at Seymour Smith and Cold Spring. “Roof work has historically easily passed back to 1986 — although the past is no guarantee of future performance,” he said.
Timm said, “I have a strong feeling that the community would understand the need for roof work. I think they would also want to upgrade the sports, and everyone would want to have the concession pavilion with toilets.” He floated the idea of getting an early authorization on the roof work before the referendum, in hopes of starting it in 2026. Wolfe said if the projects were voted down, the district would be responsible for architect fees; he will draw up a proposal for possible early roof work and submit it to the board.
Finally, the School Board approved $760,000 — left over from last year’s capital project budget — to replace old asbestos floor tile at Seymour Smith. “We will prioritize the worst rooms,” Timm said. “We’ll have enough money to take care of two-thirds of the tiles. We’ll get moving on this.”
The PPCSD 2025-26 budget vote will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, in the Stissing Mountain Junior/Senior High School cafeteria. The ballot will contain three propositions:
- Proposition One: Approval of the 2025-26 budget.
- Proposition Two: Establishment of a new 10-year, $15 million capital reserve fund for school facilities, replacing two expiring reserves totaling $5.6 million.
- Proposition Three: Authorization to purchase two 71-passenger buses ($164,163 each) and one eight-passenger Chevy Suburban ($68,043), with four older vehicles to be retired. To account for potential tariff-related price hikes, language in the proposition includes a price buffer of up to $188,911, to use only if needed.
School board elections will also be on the ballot: Two incumbents — Couse and board president Amie Fredericks — are running unopposed for the two available seats. The three-year term runs from July 5, 2025 to June 30, 2028.
Absentee and early ballot requests must be received by District Clerk Julia Tomaine no later than seven days prior to the election and vote. Completed ballots must be submitted to the polls no later than 5 p.m. on May 20. Ballots can be found here or by calling the district clerk at 518-398-7181, Ext. 1408. Details about the budget and the vote are available at PPCSD.org , the Stanford Free and Pine Plains Free libraries, and each school office. Voters can contact Timm, Rafferty, or Tomaine with additional questions.
The next Board of Education meeting will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 21, in the high school library.