How Rome's schools are paid for, who decides, and what is being built
How is the district paid for, and who decides?
Voter-approved annual budget, set by a seven-member elected board
Rome is a city school district. Each May, residents vote on the next year's budget and elect board members. The budget is paid mostly by state aid and a local property-tax levy that the state's tax cap limits. If voters say no, the board can hold a second vote in June or adopt a contingency budget with cuts. That is what happened in 2026: the first budget failed by 24 votes and a revised budget passed a month later.
Voters decide the budget
The first 2026-27 budget ($165,561,086) failed May 19, 2026 with 49% yes and 51% no. The board cut the levy increase from 2.89% to about 2.5% and the revised $165,388,086 budget passed June 16 by 1,105 to 1,065. A contingency budget would have cut about $1 million.
Property taxes pay about a quarter
The revised levy is $40,674,141, up from $39,699,188 (about 2.5%). That is roughly a quarter of the budget (calculation). The collected records itemize only the increase in state aid ($4,991,635 expected in the April plan), not the full state share.
Seven elected board members
Voters cut the board from nine to seven seats in May 2024. Terms are three years, with one five-year term added in 2026 to stagger elections. The board hires the superintendent, adopts policy, and approves the budget and contracts. As of Oct. 2026 six members are listed after a resignation effective Oct. 7.
Big building projects need their own vote
Capital projects are approved by voters in a separate special vote. The next one is Dec. 8, 2026. The board also has standing finance, audit, policy and safety committees that meet before the full board.
The district's own budget notice shows spending rising 3.02% against 2.63% inflation, and several residents objected to tax increases at the June 2 hearing. The revote also passed by only 40 votes. None of this shows the district is spending badly, and the records collected do not itemize all state aid.
Where the district stands
Students servedverified
5,000 students (5,000+)
The superintendent's report says the district serves 5,000+ students and has 1,300 employees.
2026-27 budgetverified
$165,388,086
Adopted after the June 16 revote. Up $4,854,628 (3.02%) from the 2025-26 budget of $160,533,458.
Property-tax levy 2026-27verified
$40,674,141
Up from $39,699,188. The notice estimates basic STAR savings of $590 per eligible homeowner.
Capital project on Dec. 8 ballotverified
31,102,930 $ maximum
Two propositions: $23,151,555 and $7,951,375. Bonds up to $22,091,430.
Approved FEMA/NYSEMO recovery fundingverified
19,636,175 $ (reimbursement)
Paid only after work is done and subject to deadlines; the district says demolishing the former Staley Elementary is a condition.
Schools with a state support labelverified
6 of the district's schools
Three are Comprehensive Support (Bellamy, Denti, Gansevoort), two ATSI (Joy, Stokes), one TSI (Strough).
Board seats filledverified
6 of 7
The Oct. 19, 2026 agenda lists acceptance of a member's resignation and a discussion of filling the open seat.
Levy as share of budgetcontext
24.6 % (calculated)
Calculated as $40,674,141 divided by $165,388,086. The rest comes mainly from state aid and other revenue.
Major projects
Capital Improvement Project 2026: Clough addition, Staley demolition, RFA grandstand
Voter approval pending Dec. 8, 2026
After the 2021 flood closed Staley Elementary (about 582 students moved to other schools), the district has had crowded buildings. The plan adds a gym, cafeteria and auditorium at Clough (Proposition 1, with Staley demolition, $23,151,555) and replaces the closed RFA Stadium grandstand (Proposition 2, $7,951,375, which needs Proposition 1 to pass). The district says it is built to avoid an added tax increase.
Next: Community session Nov. 17, 2026, then the Dec. 8, 2026 vote
District asks FEMA for an alternate project and a demolition grant; FEMA later declines the demolition grant
State emergency-management staff say in writing FEMA money cannot pay for Staley demolition (per district statement)
Workshop presents three scenarios: $58.9M, $31.0M, $25.4M
Board authorizes developing the roughly $31M Scenario 2 and its environmental review
District says a recent FEMA letter appears to differ from earlier state guidance and asks for clarification
Board adopts environmental findings and a bond resolution for up to $31,102,930
First community information session
Second community information session (scheduled)
Public vote on both propositions (scheduled)
Funding
Up to $6.3M capital reserve, $1.644M insurance recovery, FEMA/NYSEMO reimbursement (approved $19,636,175, paid after work is done), state building aid, and bonds up to $22,091,430
The district says the plan is cost neutral to taxpayers; that rests on aid and reserves the documents do not yet show in full. The state had not approved a one-time building-aid transfer for Clough as of Aug. 3.
2024 Capital Improvement Project (under construction)
Phase 1 contracts awarded Sept. 2026
A voter-approved 2024 project is being built in phases. Construction management by C&S Companies is planned from Feb. 2026 to March 2028. In Sept. 2026 the board awarded Phase 1 contracts for general construction, mechanical and electrical work, HVAC equipment and technology equipment.
Next: Phase 1 construction under way (project runs to March 2028)
Board approves up to $2,006,774 construction-management contract (construction Feb. 2026 to March 2028)
Bids for Phase 1 prime contracts opened
Board awards Phase 1 construction and equipment contracts
Funding
Voter-approved 2024 capital project; its total amount is not stated in the records collected
Phase 1 awards on Sept. 21, 2026 include a $3,250,540 technology equipment contract and a $1,919,400 general-trades contract.
2027-28 budget and board election
Timeline before the board Oct. 19, 2026
Budget planning starts in October. The district's proposed schedule has the tax-cap calculation due to the state March 1, 2027, a public hearing May 10, and the budget vote and board election May 18, 2027. Three board seats expire in 2027.
Next: Finance committee guidance on the 2027-28 tax levy in November 2026
Board scheduled to accept the budget development timeline
Tax-cap calculation due to the state (proposed schedule)
Public budget hearing (proposed schedule)
Budget vote and board election (proposed schedule; third Tuesday in May)
Funding
State aid and a property-tax levy limited by the tax cap
The Oct. 8 finance committee agenda lists planning a five-year revenue and tax-levy approach.
Local elections & school board members
Elections & votes
Board electionProposed
May 2027 annual board of education election
Rome City School District
Three three-year seats expire in 2027 (current terms: Jennifer Yoxall, Nadia Rashid, Kirstin Safin). Board policy sets the annual election on the third Tuesday in May; the district's proposed 2027-28 budget schedule lists May 18, 2027, subject to board acceptance. Candidate list not yet published. A vacancy from a member's resignation effective Oct. 7, 2026 may also be filled.
Annual budget vote for 2027-28, proposed for May 18, 2027 (third Tuesday in May) with a public hearing May 10. The board is scheduled to accept the budget timeline Oct. 19, 2026. If voters reject the budget, state law allows a revised budget revote in June or a contingency budget, as happened in 2026.
Proposition 1: Clough Elementary addition and Staley demolition
Rome City School District · $23,151,555
Approves up to $23,151,555 for a gym, cafeteria and auditorium addition at Clough and demolition of the former Staley Elementary, financed by capital reserve, insurance and expected FEMA/NYSEMO money, and bonds of up to $19,636,175. Proposition 2 depends on this one passing.
Approves up to $7,951,375 to replace the closed RFA Stadium grandstand, mostly from up to $4,428,620 in capital reserve plus bonds of up to $3,522,755. It only takes effect if Proposition 1 passes.
The Oct. 19, 2026 agenda lists acceptance of a board member's resignation effective Oct. 7, 2026 and a discussion of 'filling open Board seat.' Board policy lets the board appoint someone until the next annual election. No appointment or date has been announced.
Built from the board's agendas, minutes and presentations, district announcements, and meeting-recording captions from the past 12 months (Oct. 2025 to Oct. 2026), collected through the district's website platform. Figures marked verified come from a collected district document that states them; calculations and plain-language framing are context. Recording captions are auto-generated and can contain errors.
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