OBSERVER Photos by Braden Carmen Fredonia Board of Education members Courtney Gullo, left, and Lisa Powell Fortna, right, listen as Business Administrator John Forbes presents the preliminary budget for 2023-24.

Making ends meet financially is a struggle for many during times of inflation. For the Fredonia Central School District, meeting its budget constraints will be even more challenging than usual next year.

In the initial figures shared at a recent Board of Education meeting, the preliminary 2023-24 budget shows a total budget of nearly $35 million, with an increase of more than $3 million from the current budget in 2022-23.

“This year’s process has probably been one of the more challenging that we’ve had lately, because we’re coming off of last year where we spent virtually all of the money we budgeted, and right now we’re tracking the same for this year,” Fredonia Business Administrator John Forbes said.

Board of Education Vice President Steve Johnston called the preliminary budget “a pretty sobering reality of inflation.”

Forbes shared the initial figure, as well as many factors necessitating the increase. Among the major increases include the cost of BOCES services, which shows an increase of $806,922; salaries of district employees, which shows an increase of $768,591; benefits (including a 7% increase in health insurance) represent an increase of $650,303; and contractural expenses show an increase of $573,242.

The preliminary budget includes placeholders for personnel to fill open positions, as well as new contracts with the FAA and the CSEA. The budget also includes a $100,000 capital outlay project, with a focus on blacktop replacement at Wheelock School, flooring replacement, and a state-required architect’s fee.

“Thinking about our community — how do we do all of this at a price that our community can afford, our community can feel good about, and our community can ultimately support in a budget vote to give us permission,” said Fredonia Superintendent Brad Zilliox. “… Certainly, don’t want to be stagnant. We don’t want to just say we don’t have the money for this, so things will remain as they are.”

Forbes claims that over the coming weeks, the $34,964,053 total will be trimmed. To get to the tax cap, Fredonia will need to cut $505,161 from the total figure currently reflected in the projected budget.

“The goal for me, always, is to get to the cap,” Forbes said. “Then from there, it’s the board’s decision as we move forward beyond that.”

The Tax Levy Limit is the highest allowable tax levy a school district can propose for its annual budget. Due to allowable exceptions, it is not a 2% tax cap. The Tax Levy Limit the district currently has is 3.51% ($575,444).

Zilliox shared the sentiment with Forbes of the difficulty of this budget compared to others in recent years.

“There are restrictions on how much money is available to us. We really need to think about how we maximize it and how we really make the best use of that funding,” said Zilliox. “In the end, we want students to have a great experience here. … We want them to have meaningful and thoughtful learning opportunities. In a lot of ways, this all comes back to the budget and how is it that we can support those things.”

An update on the preliminary budget is expected at the next Board of Education meeting, at 6 p.m. today, at the Fredonia High School Library.