GOWANDA — The Gowanda Central School District has proposed a 1% increase to the real property tax levy in its proposed 2024-25 District Budget.

Overall, the District Budget is proposed at an amount of $37,653,573, which represents an increase of $1,235,761 (3.4%) from the current school year’s budget. The 1% increase to the tax levy amounts to an additional $53,059 of revenue to the District.

Business Administrator Barb Smith noted the Consumer Price Index, as listed in the Property Tax Report Card, defined the current rate of inflation as 4.12%. “Given everything that’s going on, I think that’s certainly a positive,” Smith said.

In its proposed budget, the District has accounted for an additional School Resource Officer, an Athletic Trainer, another Third Grade Teacher, and another Special Education Teacher. All current services will also be maintained despite significant increases in employee benefits set by outside agencies.

“Being able to add things, not having all those cuts, and moving forward with a good budget plan, we’re in a good spot,” Smith said.

In the proposed budget, 54% of the total cost is defined as instructional costs, amounting to over $20 million. An additional $7.86 million of the budget (21%) is allocated to employee benefits, bringing contractual employee costs to a total of 75% of the total budget. Instructional salaries, such as teachers, are 36% of the budget, while non-instructional salaries, such as aides and support staff, amount to 10%.

An additional 13% of the budget is general support for the operation of the District’s buildings and grounds, including information technology services. Transportation costs amount to 6% of the total budget.

Smith noted the District’s budget consists of 71% State Aid and 14% real property tax revenue. The State Aid figure is boosted by a Foundation Aid increase of over $2 million a year ago, followed by another increase of more than $900,000 for the upcoming year.

“At some point, the State is going to have to make some adjustments. They can never keep up with historic increases, it just doesn’t happen,” Smith said.

Smith noted the District’s fund balance figures are maintained at the rate they are to safeguard the District from the State potentially decreasing its aid in future years. “We need to prepare ourselves knowing that the increases that we’ve seen, I would suspect won’t be the same going forward,” Smith said.

A budget statement will be made available at each school building and on the District website by April 30, prior to the Budget Public Hearing set for May 8 at 6 p.m. in the High School Library.

The Budget, along with Board of Education seats up for election, will be voted on May 21.