With school budget votes a month away, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York state released the official state aid runs for school districts, with a $600 million increase of foundation aid from the 2018-19 school year.

But for county schools creating a budget, the process becomes a “guessing game” while school officials wait for official aid numbers to be released, said Maureen Donahue, Southwestern Central School superintendent.

The official state aid runs were released Monday with the entire state receiving about $18.4 billion in foundation aid for the 2019-20 school year, up from last year’s $17.79 billion.

“The state’s investment in our children, including advancing the phase in of Foundation Aid with an increase of over $600 million–and a total of over $1 billion for state aid– puts school districts in a better position to provide a high-quality education for all students while taking the state’s fiscal reality into account,” Board of Regents Chancellor Betty A. Rosa and State Education Department Commissions MaryEllen Elia said in a joint statement.

Chautauqua County as a whole is set to receive $185,480,876, up $5,156,492 from last year’s total.

The Jamestown Public Schools District will receive $50,787,782 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $49,090,520 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Southwestern Central School District will receive $7,674,496 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $7,590,894 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year. While Southwestern is appreciative of any increase, it anticipated receiving more foundation aid, Donahue told The Post-Journal.

“We are hoping to go out with a reasonable budget, but we’re going to have to look at everything,” she said regarding the impending budget proposal.

The superintendent said the 1.1 percent increase from last year and the almost $8,000 increase from the initial proposal in January do not cover the increasing costs of a district, such as the cost of living, instructional costs and increases in insurance pricing. Donahue said the district is still preparing its budget and will likely present a proposal next week. She continued to critique the foundation aid formula and how the numbers are revealed to school districts.

“It’s a cumbersome formula,” she said. “It’s become very unpredictable for us.”

The Frewsburg Central School District will receive $7,596,392 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $7,442,912 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Cassadaga Valley School District will receive $11,976,213 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $11,720,932 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Chautauqua Lake Central School District will receive $4,346,109 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $4,313,756 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Pine Valley Central School District will receive $7,832,665 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $7,638,103 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Clymer Central School District will receive $4,037,638 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $3,900,626 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

“First of all, I’m happy we didn’t lose money,” said Ed Bailey, Clymer superintendent.

Bailey told The Post-Journal he was concerned the amount of state aid proposed in January would decrease in the governor’s final budget. However, that was not the case with Clymer receiving $27,705 more than what was proposed months ago.

“I’m not surprised or shocked at all,” he said.

Clymer is still preparing its budget for the 2019-20 school year and will hold a budget workshop next week. The community is also holding several town hall meetings regarding the school budget leading up to the official proposal.

The Dunkirk City School District will receive $22,322,096 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $21,241,363 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Bemus Point Central School District will receive $3,482,629 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $3,377,331 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Falconer Central School District will receive $9,845,459 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $9,545,357 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Silver Creek Central School District will receive $10,202,527 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $10,023,539 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Forestville Central School District will receive $4,822,645 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $4,682,772 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Panama Central School District will receive $6,552,702 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $6,420,253 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Fredonia Central School District will receive $9,313,438 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $9,222,057 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Brocton Central School District will receive $7,763,199 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $7,596,230 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Ripley Central School District will receive $4,509,374 for the 2019-20 school year, up $89,945 from the $4,419,429 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Sherman Central School District will receive $5,229,069 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $5,088,137 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.

The Westfield Academy and Central School District will receive $7,186,445 for the 2019-20 school year, up from the $7,010,265 of foundation aid received in the 2018-19 school year.