Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Cairo-Durham Central School District voters approved the district's $30,103,377 budget for the 2017-18 school year with 273 in favor and 143 opposed. Additionally, voters approved the bus proposition to allow the district to purchase five (5) school buses by 290 yes votes to 126 no votes.

In the Board of Education election, incumbents David Infantino and Stephen Brandow were re-elected to terms through 2020. A third board seat is still to be determined based on the acceptance of a write-in candidate.

Thank you to everyone who voted!

2017-2018 Budget Information

Important Dates 

(see full budget development calendar below): 

• Thursday, May 4, 2017 -- Board of Education Budget Hearing & Meeting – 7 p.m. in the MS/HS Media Center
• Tuesday, May 9, 2017-- Voter Registration from 4-8 p.m. in the High School Lobby

Budget Vote

• Tuesday, May 16, 2017 -- 12 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Middle School Cafeteria 

Absentee ballots will be available in April.  Once available, absentee ballots can be obtained by visiting the District Office (424 Main Street, Cairo NY) or submitting a written request to the Board Clerk in the District Office.  

Additional Information & Frequently Asked Questions

2017-2018 Budget Newsletter

Download the Cairo-Durham CSD 2017-18 Budget Newsletter (PDF) to learn more about the proposed budget, or cilck here to read the newsletter in plain text.

When is the budget vote and what will I be voting on?

The annual budget vote and Board of Education election will occur on Tuesday, May 16, 2017 between the hours of 12 noon and 9 p.m. in the Cairo-Durham Middle School cafeteria. 

Voters will be asked to decide on the following items:

• A $30,103,377 budget for the 2017-18 school year
• Selection of three Board of Education members
• Purchase of five school buses

Board of Education Candidates

The Cairo-Durham CSD Board of Education has three (3) Board vacancies on the May 2017 budget ballot. Each seat is a three-year, non-paid term.

Two candidates currently serve on the Board and are running for re-election. They are David Infantino and Stephen Brandow. The third seat will be awarded to whichever write-in candidate receives the highest number of votes. 

Property Tax Cap Information

Contrary to popular belief, the property tax cap does not cap tax increases at 2 percent. Instead, public schools in NY must use a state formula to determine how much they can increase their tax levies by without having to seek a higher percentage of voter approval for the budget. This threshold must be determined and submitted to the State by March 1st of every year.

If the year-to-year increase of the District's tax levy (portion of the school budget funded by property tax) is at or below the number determined by the cap, a simple majority (50% + 1) of voter approval is needed to pass the budget. If the District puts before voters a budget that carries a tax levy increase above the cap, a super majority (60%) of voter approval is needed for the budget to pass.

This 4-minute video briefly explains how New York State uses a formula to determine each school district's tax cap, which rarely works out to 2%:

Why is a 2.57% increase within the tax cap?

When New York State passed the Property Tax Cap law, elected officials often referred to the new law as a “2% tax cap.” But the law they passed requires schools to use an eight-step formula to determine how much they can increase their tax levy, which does not always work out to 2 percent. Very few school districts actually have a 2% tax cap because the formula causes the cap to vary from district to district. A school district is considered tax cap compliant as long as it does not increase its tax levy by more than the amount determined by the eight-step calculation.

More information on the NYS Property Tax Cap as it pertains to public schools is available through these links:

• Understanding the NYS Property Tax Cap
• New rules for budget votes
• Understanding the three tax levy numbers under the new law
• Information on Tax Levy Limit Formula
• NY State Education Department Website

Does the 2017-2018 proposed budget qualify homeowners for a tax rebate? 

Since Cairo-Durham CSD is within the maximum allowable tax levy increase, some residents will be eligible for a NYS refund check due to the new STAR Property Tax Rebate law. This tax relief program reimburses qualifying homeowners for increases in local property taxes in districts that remain within the NYS Property Tax Cap and meet efficiency requirements. Cairo-Durham CSD has met both requirements. 

To qualify for this tax rebate, homeowners must already receive the STAR Property Tax Exemption. The property must be the homeowner’s primary residence and the total household income must be $200,000 or less.

For information about the program, please visit the NYS Department of Taxation and Finance’s website (www.tax.ny.gov).

Why is the district switching to electronic voting?

Voting will take place by scanning-type voting machines this year, as required by state law. Election workers will be available to assist you if needed.

More questions?

Questions or comments about the budget? Email them to jmiriello@cairodurham.org

Budget Presentations

Download the PowerPoint from the Superintendent's Budget Presentation (PDF) on April 20, 2017.

Download the PowerPoint from the 2017-18 Budget Public Hearing (PDF) on May 4, 2017.

Budget Development Calendar

A printable budget calendar is available here (PDF)

Past Budgets

View 2016-2017 budget information here.

Budget Archives...