District overview
Kingston City School District
Kingston City School District: 10 schools in Ulster County, New York. How it is paid for, who runs it, and what is underway.
How is the district paid for, and why is money tight?
Kingston is a city school district in Ulster County with about 5,500 students. Its 2026-27 budget is $258.1 million. About half of revenue comes from local property taxes (a $130.9 million levy, limited each year by the state tax cap) and most of the rest from state aid, with Foundation Aid the largest piece. New York has recently counted Kingston as a higher-income, moderate-need district because local property values rose, so it gets only small Foundation Aid increases and smaller reimbursements for busing, special education and BOCES shared services. At the same time enrollment has dropped by 891 students since 2019-20, and costs for out-of-district special education and busing have climbed. Voters approve the budget each May.
Tax levy up 4.04% (the cap)
The 2026-27 levy is $130,877,575, up from $125,791,600. The state cap allows 4.04% this year, and the district used all of it.
State aid is flat or falling
The governor's 2026-27 proposal gave Foundation Aid about 1% (roughly $680,000). Transportation aid ratio dropped from about 71% to 59% in one year on a roughly $20 million bus budget, per district staff.
Reserves are being used
$12.1 million of fund balance and reserves balance the 2026-27 budget, after $5.5 million of fund balance was used in 2025-26. Staff said unassigned fund balance is below the usual 4% target.
Fewer students, same buildings
Enrollment was 5,512 on the first day of 2026-27. Kindergarten classes (about 380-390) are much smaller than grade 4, so every building will have fewer students over time.
The district says it kept all academic programs, art, music, athletics and universal pre-K while cutting positions. The records do not show how much of the cuts are felt in individual classrooms.
Where the district stands
Up 3.43% from $249,522,500. Contingency budget if defeated: $254,608,475.
Up 4.04%, the most the state tax cap allows.
Reported by the superintendent on Sept. 9, 2026; lower than past years.
Elementary down about 320 and Kingston High School down 270 (1,951 to 1,681).
Down from $12.25 million in 2025-26.
Teachers 21, teaching assistants 18, administrators 4; 22 layoffs. Earlier estimate was 59 positions.
Context: $258,079,830 divided by 5,512 students. Includes busing, benefits, debt, building costs and tuition for about 300 students placed outside the district, so it is not classroom spending per child.
Seven elementary (K-4), two middle (5-8: J. Watson Bailey and M. Clifford Miller) and Kingston High School. Source: district school directory; context.
Major projects
District-wide capital project (five phases)
Under construction; behind scheduleA five-phase building program the superintendent's goals call a $167.5 million project: secure entrances, windows, air conditioning, restrooms, kitchens, elevators and ADA fixes. Phases 1 and 2 cover Edson and Bailey; phase 3 covers George Washington and Chambers; phase 4 Myer, Graves and JFK; phase 5 Miller and the high school. Asbestos found in old buildings delayed the 2026 summer work.
- Facilities committee reports phase 3 kickoff and procurement under way; phases 4 and 5 in design review
- Superintendent reports the project is behind schedule; asbestos the main cause
- Schools open with construction still under way in four buildings
- Officials say an elevator will not be finished until 2027 and some work moves to next summer; phasing options studied
Funding
Capital project borrowing repaid through the capital part of the annual budget ($32.97M capital component in 2026-27) with state building aid; the project's bond approval record was not in the documents reviewed.
Staff said delays caused no added cost because contracts are already bought out.
Closing the budget gap and cutting transportation costs
Savings still neededAfter a $20.9 million gap in April 2026, the district cut positions, used reserves and plans to bring some special-education students back in-district (about $5.8 million in gross savings, partly reinvested). A proposal to change school start times to cut bus runs was postponed in July 2026; about $2 million of transportation savings still has to be found. A five-year financial plan was promised.
- Budget presentation shows a $20.9M gap
- Board approves $258,079,830 budget
- Board abolishes positions effective June 30, 2026
- Voters decide the budget; board accepts results May 20
- District says no bell schedule change for 2026-27
Funding
Operating budget, tax levy and reserves.
John F. Kennedy Elementary receivership plan
State improvement planJFK Elementary is under state receivership; the superintendent acts as receiver. The 2026-27 continuation plan focuses on strong daily classroom teaching and attendance.
- Public hearing on receivership status at JFK
- Continuation plan submitted to the state
Funding
District and state school-improvement funds (amount not stated in the plan reviewed).
Recent news
Built from the district's own budget books, newsletters, plans and web pages and from auto-generated captions of 25 Board of Education meeting recordings (October 2025 to October 2026). Figures marked verified are stated in a cited district record; calculations and outside context are marked context.
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