Herkimer Central School District residents voted 352-71 on Tuesday, May 19, to approve the district’s $37,008,382 budget for the 2026-27 school year.
“We know families are feeling the impact of rising costs just like schools are, so this proposed budget remains responsible to taxpayers, while also working to protect the programs and staff our students rely on,” Herkimer Superintendent Kathleen Carney said. “We’re grateful for the continued engagement and support our community shows each year during the school budget vote process.”
The 2026-27 budget is a 4.99% increase from the 2025-26 spending plan. It includes a tax levy increase of 1.98%, which is below Herkimer’s tax levy limit of 6.35%, as calculated using the state’s formula. The district has been under the levy limit for 15 of the 16 years since the limit’s inception in 2012-13, and the one year over the limit was a 0% increase.
Highlights of the budget include maintaining all existing programs and staff; providing essential support services by contracting for dedicated speech services; increasing elective offerings and continuing College Now classes for high school students; continuing replacement cycles for textbooks, curricular resources and aging classroom equipment; upgrading aging security cameras and maintaining safety patrol officers (SPOs) to enhance safety and security in both school buildings, and fully funding phase three of a five-year replacement plan for instructional technology.
Also included in the budget is an amount not to exceed $100,000 for the purpose of a capital outlay project to complete minor renovations and upgrades and to purchase associated furnishings and equipment at the district’s school buildings.
Propositions and Board of Education election
Three Herkimer Central School District Board of Education seats were also up for election – with four candidates running for the spots. The top three vote-getters were elected to three-year terms from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029: Audrey Piccione with 312 votes, incumbent Scott Petucci with 300 votes and incumbent Joseph Lamanna with 269 votes. Candidate William Vivlamore received 184 votes.
Voters also approved a proposition on the ballot allowing the district to set aside up to $5 million over a 10-year period to help fund future capital improvements. The proposition passed with a vote of 369-59. Additionally, district residents voted 359-62 to approve the Frank J. Basloe Library’s proposed tax levy of $378,592 to fund the library’s annual budget and elected Ron Ste-Marie to a five-year term on the library Board of Trustees with 317 votes. There was one write-in vote for the district’s Board of Education and two for the library’s Board of Trustees with nobody receiving more than one vote.