* 2023. Levy of tax for certain purposes without vote; contingency budget. 1. If the qualified voters shall neglect or refuse to vote the sum estimated necessary for teachers' salaries, after applying thereto the public school moneys, and other moneys received or to be received for that purpose, or if they shall neglect or refuse to vote the sum estimated necessary for ordinary contingent expenses, including the purchase of library books and other instructional materials associated with a library and expenses incurred for interschool athletics, field trips and other extracurricular activities and the expenses for cafeteria or restaurant services, the sole trustee, board of trustees, or board of education shall adopt a contingency budget including such expenses and shall levy a tax, subject to the restrictions as set forth in subdivision four of this section and subdivision eight of section two thousand twenty-three-a of this part, for the same, in like manner as if the same had been voted by the qualified voters, subject to the limitations contained in subdivisions three and four of this section.
2. Notwithstanding the defeat of a school budget, school districts shall continue to transport students to and from the regular school program in accordance with the mileage limitations previously adopted by the qualified voters of the school district. Such mileage limits shall change only when amended by a special proposition passed by a majority of the qualified voters of the school district. In cases where the school budget is defeated by such qualified voters of the school district, appropriations for transportation costs for purposes other than for transportation to and from the regular school program, and transportation that would constitute an ordinary contingent expense pursuant to subdivision one of this section, shall be authorized in the budget only after approval by the qualified voters of the district.
3. The administrative component of a contingency budget shall not comprise a greater percentage of the contingency budget exclusive of the capital component than the lesser of (1) the percentage the administrative component had comprised in the prior year budget exclusive of the capital component; or (2) the percentage the administrative component had comprised in the last proposed defeated budget exclusive of the capital component.
4. a. The contingency budget shall not result in a tax levy greater than the tax levied for the prior school year.
b. The resolution of the trustee, board of trustees, or board of education adopting a contingency budget shall incorporate by reference a statement specifying the projected percentage increase or decrease in total spending for the school year, and explaining the reasons for disregarding any portion of an increase in spending in formulating the contingency budget.
c. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the trustees or board of education shall not be authorized to amend or revise a final contingency budget where such amendment or revision would result in total spending in excess of the spending limitation in paragraph (a) of this subdivision; provided that the trustees or board of education shall be authorized to add appropriations for the expenditure of gifts, grants in aid for specific purposes or for general use or insurance proceeds authorized pursuant to subdivision two of section seventeen hundred eighteen of this chapter in addition to that which has been previously budgeted.
* NB Effective until June 16, 2020
* 2023. Levy of tax for certain purposes without vote; contingency budget. 1. If the qualified voters shall neglect or refuse to vote the sum estimated necessary for teachers' salaries, after applying thereto the public school moneys, and other moneys received or to be received for that purpose, or if they shall neglect or refuse to vote the sum estimated necessary for ordinary contingent expenses, including the purchase of library books and other instructional materials associated with a library and expenses incurred for interschool athletics, field trips and other extracurricular activities and the expenses for cafeteria or restaurant services, the sole trustee, board of trustees, or board of education shall adopt a contingency budget including such expenses and shall levy a tax for the same, in like manner as if the same had been voted by the qualified voters, subject to the limitations contained in subdivisions three and four of this section.
2. Notwithstanding the defeat of a school budget, school districts shall continue to transport students to and from the regular school program in accordance with the mileage limitations previously adopted by the qualified voters of the school district. Such mileage limits shall change only when amended by a special proposition passed by a majority of the qualified voters of the school district. In cases where the school budget is defeated by such qualified voters of the school district, appropriations for transportation costs for purposes other than for transportation to and from the regular school program, and transportation that would constitute an ordinary contingent expense pursuant to subdivision one of this section, shall be authorized in the budget only after approval by the qualified voters of the district.
3. The administrative component of a contingency budget shall not comprise a greater percentage of the contingency budget exclusive of the capital component than the lesser of (1) the percentage the administrative component had comprised in the prior year budget exclusive of the capital component; or (2) the percentage the administrative component had comprised in the last proposed defeated budget exclusive of the capital component.
4. a. The contingency budget shall not result in a percentage increase in total spending over the district's total spending under the school district budget for the prior school year that exceeds the lesser of: (i) the result obtained when one hundred twenty percent is multiplied by the percentage increase in the consumer price index, with the result rounded to two decimal places; or (ii) four percent.
b. The following types of expenditures shall be disregarded in determining total spending:
(i) expenditures resulting from a tax certiorari proceeding;
(ii) expenditures resulting from a court order or judgment against the school district;
(iii) emergency expenditures that are certified by the commissioner as necessary as a result of damage to, or destruction of, a school building or school equipment;
(iv) capital expenditures resulting from the construction, acquisition, reconstruction, rehabilitation or improvement of school facilities, including debt service and lease expenditures, subject to the approval of the qualified voters where required by law;
(v) expenditures in the contingency budget attributable to projected increases in public school enrollment, which, for the purpose of this subdivision, may include increases attributable to the enrollment of students attending a pre-kindergarten program established in accordance with section thirty-six hundred two-e of this chapter, to be computed based upon an increase in enrollment from the year prior to the base year for which the budget is being adopted to the base year for which the budget is being adopted, provided that where the trustees or board of education have documented evidence that a further increase in enrollment will occur during the school year for which the contingency budget is prepared because of new construction, inception of a pre-kindergarten program, growth or similar factors, the expenditures attributable to such additional enrollment may also be disregarded;
(vi) non-recurring expenditures in the prior year's school district budget; and
* (vii) expenditures for payments to charter schools pursuant to section twenty-eight hundred fifty-six of this chapter.
* NB There are 2 sbù(vii)'s
* (vii) expenditures for self-supporting programs. For purposes of this subparagraph, "self-supporting programs" shall mean any programs that are entirely funded by private funds that cover all the costs of the program.
* NB There are 2 sbù(vii)'s
b-1. Notwithstanding any other provision of this subdivision to the contrary, in the event a state grant in aid provided to the district in the prior year is eliminated and incorporated into a non-categorical general state aid in the current school year, the amount of such grant may be included in the computation of total spending for the prior school year, provided that the commissioner has verified that the grant in aid has been incorporated into such non-categorical general state aid.
c. The resolution of the trustee, board of trustees, or board of education adopting a contingency budget shall incorporate by reference a statement specifying the projected percentage increase or decrease in total spending for the school year, and explaining the reasons for disregarding any portion of an increase in spending in formulating the contingency budget.
d. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the trustees or board of education shall not be authorized to amend or revise a final contingency budget where such amendment or revision would result in total spending in excess of the spending limitation in paragraph (a) of this subdivision; provided that the trustees or board of education shall be authorized to add appropriations for:
(i) the categories of expenditures excluded from the spending limitations set forth in paragraph (b) of this subdivision, subject to approval of the qualified voters where required by law;
(ii) expenditures resulting from an actual increase in enrollment over the projected enrollment used to develop the contingency budget, provided that where such actual enrollment is less than such projected enrollment, it shall be the duty of the trustees or board of education to use such excess funds to reduce taxes; and
(iii) the expenditure of gifts, grants in aid for specific purposes or for general use or insurance proceeds authorized pursuant to subdivision two of sudivision seventeen hundred eighteen of this chapter in addition to that which has been previously budgeted.
e. For the purposes of this subdivision:
(i) "Base school year" shall mean the school year immediately preceding the school year for which the contingency budget is prepared.
(ii) "Consumer price index" shall mean the percentage that represents the average of the national consumer price indexes determined by the United States department of labor, for the twelve month period preceding January first of the current year.
(iii) "Current year" shall mean the calendar year in which the school district budget is submitted for a vote of the qualified voters.
(iv) "Resident public school district enrollment shall mean the resident public school enrollment of the school district as defined in paragraph n of subdivision one of section thirty-six hundred two of this chapter.
(v) "Total spending" shall mean the total amount appropriated under the school district budget for the school year.
* NB Effective June 16, 2020
Last modified: February 3, 2019