Budget & Finance

Each spring the Board of Education adopts a budget for the coming school year for a community vote. New York state has designated the third Tuesday in May as the date for school district budget votes.

2026-27 School Budget Information

Eligible voters in the Fayetteville-Manlius School District will vote on the 2026-27 proposed budget on Tuesday, May 20, 2026. More information about the budget proposal and the vote will be shared here once available.

School Budget News

• Preliminary budget preserves programs and services– Feb. 13, 2026

2026-27 Budget development calendar

• Oct. 20, 2025: Board of education reviews and adopts draft calendar
• November 2025: Budget guidelines established/Budget request worksheets are distributed to all building administrators, department supervisors and administrative departments
• Nov. 30, 2025: Administrators submit budget request worksheets to the business office
• Dec. 8-17, 2025: Budget review meetings held with building administrators and department supervisors
• February to March 2026: Prepare 2026-27 preliminary budget
• February 2026: District newsletter sent out providing budget update
• By Feb. 28, 2026: Submit the calculation of the tax levy limit to the NYS Comptroller; prepare board of education petitions for pick-up; distribute information material
• March 9, 2026: Board of Education Budget Presentation – Capital and Administrative Budget
• March 23, 2026: Board of Education Budget Presentation – Program Budget and Revenue; board of education adoption of legal notice of school budget hearing and budget vote
• By April 3, 2026: Send legal notice to newspapers; advertise budget notice four times within seven weeks of the vote with first publication 45 days before the budget vote
• April 13-20, 2026: Begin to prepare absentee and military ballot applications, absentee ballot, related envelopes, and directions; the ballot must be mailed not earlier than 30 days or not later than seven days prior to election day; district newsletter sent to print to be mailed to all district residents
• April 20, 2026: Overall budget presentation and budget adoption by the board of education, appointment of election inspectors and property tax report card adoption; board of education petitions and first preliminary campaign contributions and loans statement due (30 days preceding budget vote)
• April 20-27, 2026: Transmit property tax report card to SED (within 24 hours of adoption but no later than April 28, 2025) and to local newspaper of general circulation
• April 21, 2026: Drawing by district clerk for determination of order of board candidates on ballot; prepare paper ballot proof for printing/voting machines.
• April 24, 2026: Distribute military ballots (no later than 25 days before the vote)
• April 28 to May 5, 2026: Budget documents made available to the public at each building and on the district’s website
• May 11, 2026: Public budget hearing (7-14 days before vote)
• May 11-13, 2026: Budget postcard mailed – notice must be mailed to eligible voters after the budget hearing but no later than six days prior to the vote
• May 14, 2026: Second preliminary campaign contributions and loans statement due (five days preceding budget vote)
• May 14-18, 2026: Sworn statement of campaign contributions or loans in excess of $1,000, received before vote date and not previously reported to be filed with district clerk and Commissioner of Education within 24 hours of receipt by candidate.
• May 19, 2026: Annual meeting/board election/budget vote day
• June 8, 2026: Final campaign contributions and loans statement due (20 days after the vote)
• June 16, 2026: State-wide budget revote day (if necessary)
• July 1, 2026: Implement 2026-27 budget

Budget Newsletter

The proposed budget must be presented in a three-part format separated into administration, program and capital components. This information will be be shared with the community in the district’s annual budget newsletter that will be mailed in late April.

School Taxes, Tax Levies, and the Property Tax Cap

When the school district creates its annual budget plan, it considers several important things. This includes school taxes, which are what homeowners pay, the tax levy, which is the total amount of money the school district plans to collect from property taxes, and the property tax cap, which is a state law that limits how much the school can increase that total tax amount each year. Learn more about school taxes, tax levies, and the Property Tax Cap.