As required by law, each year prior to the school budget vote all districts must submit a Property Tax Report Card to the State Education Department. The data contained in the 2009 Property Tax Report Card compares the 2008-09 school budget with the 2009-10 proposed school budget and the 2008-09 tax levy with the 2009-10 projected tax levy.

In total, 661 school districts have submitted their 2009 Property Tax Report Card. The Big Five City school districts are not covered by this requirement as the residents in these districts do not vote on their school budget. In addition to the spending and tax levy increases, districts are also required to report three parts of the fund balance on the Property Tax Report Card: (1) the amount and percent of the unreserved, undesignated fund balance, (2) the reserved fund balance and (3) the appropriated fund balance. The compilation of this information is available on the State Education Department's website at http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/mgtserv/

SPENDING —

According to the data contained in the 661 Property Tax Report Cards, school districts on average are proposing budgets for 2009-10 that contain an overall spending increase of 2.35%, which is the lowest average spending increase since districts began submitting the Property Tax Report Cards back in the 2000-01 school year. Last year, the average statewide spending increase that districts presented in their 2008-09 school budgets was 5.27%.

Voters will decide the fate of their 2009-10 school budget on May 19th.

TAXES —

The Property Tax Report Cards also reveal that the average tax levy increase contained in the proposed 2009-10 school budgets is just 1.89%, the smallest average tax levy increase since districts began submitting the Property Tax Report Cards back in the 2000-01 school year.