State funding for Lansing schools rises 2%

The initial school aid projections from Gov. Kathy Hochul show Lansing Central School District (LCSD) will be getting an increase as administrators prepare a 2025-2026 school year budget. But that increase is not likely to be significant.

LCSD Assistant Superintendent of Business Administration Kathryn Heath told district Board of Education members at the board’s Jan. 27 meeting that the first proposal from Gov. Hochul only signifies a 2% increase in state aid from last year’s final number. 

The school aid account would see an increase of around $6,887. Last year’s total aid from the state came in at $11,971,487. This year’s first projection is set at $11,978,374.

That number could increase if the district reviews its transportation costs and reports to the New York State Education Department (NYSED) final costs on parts of LCSD’s capital project. 

“The state made some formula changes,” Heath said. “The formula that goes into foundation aid [one of the types of funding streams that makes up state school aid] is really long and extensive and complicated.”

The bump LCSD is getting comes from a flat, 2% base aid increase to every school district in the state.

“If nothing else, if you didn’t qualify for any increases, you were at least getting that minimum 2%,” Heath said.

The district could see an increase in building aid, which makes up part of the total aid formula, if it reports the completion of construction or renovation projects.

“If we haven’t filed a final cost report on a project we have ongoing, they don’t necessarily know we are about to complete this project,” Heath said. “Anything we are about to complete, which we are, is not necessarily included in these numbers.”

One of the projects the district would report to the state is the non-pipeline alternatives (NPA) project. Lansing’s NPA overhaul is a project that started in 2019, when New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) requested proposals to ensure that Lansing would be less reliant on natural gas. LCSD sent multiple proposals to NYSEG focusing on improvements to Lansing Middle School, which is close to the end of a natural gas pipeline.

“It is basically [a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC)] upgrade at the middle school, with boilers, rooftop units and ventilators upgraded to be more energy efficient,” Heath said.

The first phase of the district’s capital project, approved by voters in 2023, would also be included.

“The aid on those particular projects is not included in the number they provided,” Heath said.

Another move the state recently made could help local districts, Heath said. 

“I think what is really critical here doesn’t necessarily impact us yet, but they changed how they are calculating poverty data,” she said. “Instead of looking at data from 24 years ago, they are looking at the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates [SAIEP], and those estimates are updated annually based on how the economics of a particular area are changing year over year. So that will be really helpful to some of our districts in our region.”

So far, this school year has brought lower costs than anticipated. Based on projections calculated by the end of January, the district is hoping to run a surplus of about $800,000 by the end of the 2024-2025 budget year. 

“Health care costs are a little bit lower than we anticipated due to some changes in the plans people elected, what type of plan, and if they took health insurance at all based on your initial projections,” Heath said of the largest source of savings so far. The district is projecting that the health care budget line will come under budget by $190,254 by the end of the year. 

“When we talk about rollover, we are saying: if everything remains the same, no new hires, no one laid off, all of our contractual and supply budgets are the same, and we are just keeping our staff and our benefits, that is what that rollover budget is,” Heath said. “Because of our contractual obligations, that means our budget is going up even if everything else remains the same.”

Other significant savings could come from supplies, which projects a potential surplus of $190,131 so far.

“That will fluctuate as we go through the remaining months and expenses start rolling in,” Heath said.

Lansing at Large appears every week in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@vizellamedia.com. Contact Eddie Velazquez at edvel37@gmail.com or on X (formerly Twitter): @ezvelazquez.

In brief:

The Lansing Community Library is hosting a “Barnyards & Birds” art exhibition by local artist Danielle Clare. The exhibition will be on display at the library until the end of March.

“Check out our newest LCL Art exhibition, Barnyards & Birds, featuring the incredible work of Clare. [She] is a talented self-taught artist based in Lansing,” reads a post on the library’s website. “[Clare] draws inspiration from roadside barns, nature, and wildlife in Tompkins County. Growing up in a creative environment that encouraged artistic exploration, [Clare] has developed a unique style that incorporates watercolors, India ink, and also driftwood sculptures. [Clare] shares her passion for art with her children, each of whom has contributed a piece to the exhibition as well. Come see this beautiful collection that will be on exhibition from February through March.”