Ripley Central School Board of Education members received an update on the proposed 2026-27 district budget at the meeting on April 16, with a reminder from District Superintendent William Caldwell that taxes are not being raised.

Caldwell said it has been nearly a decade that the tax levy has remained the same. “We are sticking with our promise to not raise taxes,” he said. “But I think we are about at the end of our responsibility for not raising taxes. We may see an increase for the 2027-28 school year.”

Caldwell went on to explain that the central administrative budget went up, mostly due to salary increases. The buildings and grounds budget went up, mostly due to an increase in the cost of electricity.

Caldwell noted when the budget was created, fuel prices were considerably lower. “When we made the budget, we didn’t put in an increase for fuel,” he said. “Now the price of fuel has gone through the roof.”

Caldwell also spoke about the cost of sending students to Chautauqua Lake Central School. “We pay approximately $10,000 to send a student to CLCS, which usually amounts to about $1 million for us,” he said. “However, we had an increase of 25 students, which sent that $1 million to $1.25 million.”

Board President Paul McCutcheon noted that many people seem to be unaware of the cost of sending students to CLCS. “Some people believe those kids go for free,” he said.

Caldwell told board members that there are currently 170 students in grades pre-K through 6. “In a few years, those kids will be at Chautauqua Lake, which is really going to cause an increase in our budget for tuition,” he said. “Over the summer, we will get together with Superintendent (Josh) Liddell to see if there’s anything we can do,” he added.

With a budget of $10,385,690, the tax levy is staying the same, Caldwell said. There has been an increase in revenue of $272,721, with state aid being the biggest increase, he said. “If we need to raise taxes for the 2027-28 school year, our goal is to not go over the tax cap,” he said.

In other business, school principal Sara Centanni told the board that the school hosted a Nim’s Island Night on March 31 and the first Battle of the Books competition was held at the school on March 30. “Thank you to Brocton for joining us for the competition,” she said.

Caldwell said he is optimistic that Battle of the Books will continue at the school. “I hope Battle of the Books will keep going like when the Chautauqua Institute did it, with other schools joining us,” he said.

Centanni expressed pride in student commitment to the Kids Heart Challenge, which raises funds for the American Heart Association. “RCS raised a total of $2,854.70. A special huge congratulations goes out to Nolan S., who raised an impressive $332.69,” she said.

Centanni reviewed the results from the February Benchmark Testing. “We are proud to report measurable growth across the district in iReady scores since the fall diagnostic,” she said. “This progress is a testament to the hard work of our students and the dedication of our teaching staff.”

Caldwell said he is pleased with the results. “What I like most in the graph, Tier 1 has more than doubled and we blew past Tier 2 from Tier 3 to Tier 1,” he said. “We’re seeing the results of our students being successful socially and emotionally, as well as academically.”

McCutcheon emphasized the importance of strengthening children in all areas. “It’s more than just ABCs and 123s here,” he said. “We prepare our kids in so many areas. I’m always amazed at how many adults can’t row a boat or shoot a bow, but we turn out well rounded kids.”