Thirty-one school districts, including Fredonia Central Schools, have been designated in some level of fiscal stress under New York state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli’s Fiscal Stress Monitoring System for the school fiscal year ending June 30, up from 22 districts in fiscal stress the prior year.

“In recent years, pandemic-related federal funding as well as increases in state aid have provided districts with significant financial support,” DiNapoli said. “With much of the relief funding having been spent, the number of school districts in fiscal stress has returned to pre-pandemic levels this year. As districts continue to adjust to these conditions, officials should make every effort to ensure budgets are structurally balanced to avoid fiscal problems going forward.”

From school years 2019-20 to 2024-25, school districts spent $4 billion of the nearly $4.6 billion in available federal pandemic relief funding. With this funding dwindling, in SY 2024-25, districts reported spending only $317 million in combined federal pandemic relief funding, a decrease of over 70% from SY 2023-24.

Regionally, the Mohawk Valley had the highest percentage of school districts with a stress designation (10.9%), followed by Central New York (10.4%) and the North County (7%).

In December, the Fredonia school board learned the unassigned fund balance is 2.32% of the succeeding year’s budget. In total, as of June 30, the district has $887,915.98 in unassigned fund balance. The district also has $787,558.95 in assigned fund balance, along with $1,623,703.01 in restricted fund balance.

While the district generated close to $36 million in revenues through taxes, grants and aid, it spends more than it generates. The 2025-26 school budget totaled $38,193,800. That figure includes the $750,000 of the assigned fund balance, as well as the costs associated with the approved portion of the district’s Capital Project.