{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreigexy4frcfugp4uoqosctyhirafrk6jocifmqaflmy6q7qgj636la",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:vz44c4dwstdrhazws7rmorgu/app.bsky.feed.post/3mlqbqytz3ne2"
  },
  "description": "Webster Central School District residents vote Tuesday, May 19, on a $227.1 million budget for 2026-27. Our May 4 overview walked through what’s on the ballot. This piece answers the two questions that overview left at the rate level: what the budget actually costs a homeowner in dollars, and what “contingency” means if it fails twice.\n\n\nWhat it costs your house\n\nFinal tax rates aren’t set until August, but the district has published projected rates for each town it covers. In the Town of Webste",
  "path": "/six-days-schools-vote-wcsd-budget-2026/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-13T12:14:57.000Z",
  "site": "https://websterledger.com",
  "tags": [
    "May 4 overview",
    "our May 4 overview"
  ],
  "textContent": "Webster Central School District residents vote Tuesday, May 19, on a $227.1 million budget for 2026-27. Our May 4 overview walked through what’s on the ballot. This piece answers the two questions that overview left at the rate level: what the budget actually costs a homeowner in dollars, and what “contingency” means if it fails twice.\n\n## What it costs your house\n\nFinal tax rates aren’t set until August, but the district has published projected rates for each town it covers. In the Town of Webster, the projected school tax rate is $29.36 per $1,000 of assessed value, up 66 cents (2.31%) from $28.70.\n\nApplied to typical homes in Webster town, before any STAR exemption:\n\n  * A $200,000 assessed home: roughly $5,873 in school taxes, about $132 more than this year.\n  * A $250,000 assessed home: roughly $7,341, about $166 more.\n  * A $300,000 assessed home: roughly $8,809, about $199 more.\n\n\n\nHomeowners in Ontario and Walworth will see published rates that actually went down ($17.66 in Ontario, $18.16 in Walworth, both off roughly $1.72 to $1.77). That is not a tax cut. It’s equalization math.\n\nEqualization is the state’s adjustment for the fact that towns assess property at different fractions of market value. When one town’s assessments rise faster than another’s, the state lowers that town’s rate per $1,000 so the school tax burden stays proportional to actual home value across the district. A homeowner whose own assessment rose could still owe more in dollars, even if the rate per $1,000 fell.\n\n## What happens if it fails\n\nA “no” majority on May 19 doesn’t automatically trigger cuts. The board can put the same or a revised budget back to voters on June 16, the statewide revote date. Only if a second vote also fails does the district have to adopt a contingency budget.\n\nThe district has already calculated that contingency: $225.0 million in spending, about $2.1 million less than the proposed plan, with the local tax levy frozen at this year’s $127.5 million.\n\nThe dollar gap is small. The staffing language isn’t. The district describes the proposed budget as hitting its staffing target “through attrition only (no layoffs).” The contingency budget, in the district’s own words, would mean “likely staff layoffs.” It would also end free facility use for community groups and freeze equipment purchases except for health and safety items.\n\nFor when, where, and how to vote, see our May 4 overview.\n\n* * *\n\n_AI tools were used in drafting and research._",
  "title": "Six days to the schools vote: what it costs your house, and what happens if it fails",
  "updatedAt": "2026-05-13T12:14:57.841Z"
}