From left, Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education President Paul Abbot and Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker look over documents Tuesday at the board’s meeting. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

As part of the $49.5 million BOCES Capital project, Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education will contribute about 12 percent in 2027 to help finance the project.

According to Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker, the 12 percent equates to about $5,977,436 of the district’s budget.

He added that the Board of Cooperative Educational Services doesn’t have other means to raise funds other than the local school districts that belong to its member area.

“So what it does is it divides the cost of projects across the districts based on their population,” Whitaker said.

Whitaker noted that JPS will get a return on New York State aid on its portion. Normally, he added, the aid would return about 98 percent in capital return state aid, but because the project is through BOCES, it will be about 92 percent aid which means the district would receive back 92 percent of the funds over five years.

Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Brittnay Spry said for example, if the district would send a check out July 1, 2027, the district would start receiving aid that year.

“We pay over five years, and we get the aid returned to us in the year in which we pay, which is different from our capital project,” Spry noted.

Spry said the money will come from the district’s general fund.

“We are in the process of planning for it with our budget,” Spry said. “July 1, 2027 is our first obligation, so we have a year.”

Currently there are 19 school districts being served in the Erie 1 BOCES Region that include Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, and Erie counties.

In Chautauqua County, here are the rest of the school districts shares of the total cost of the project.

Bemus Point Central School District: $844,049 or 1.17%

Brocton Central School District: $788,480 or 1.59%

Cassadaga Valley Central School District: $1,205,998 or 2.44%

Chautauqua Lake Central School District: $895,112 or 1.81%

Clymer Central School District: $597,743 or 1.21%

Dunkirk City School District: $2,870,066 or 5.80%

Falconer Central School District: $1,650,551 or 3.33%

Forestville Central School District: $623,274 or 1.26%

Fredonia Central School District: $1,036,288 or 2.09%

Panama Central School District: $639,795 or 1.29%

Pine Valley Central School District: $698,368 or 1.41%

Ripley Central School District: $344,916 or 0.68%

Sherman Central School District: $524,151 or 1.06%

Silver Creek Central School District: $1,375,709 or 2.78%

Southwestern Central School District: $1,896,857 or 3.83%

Westfield Academy & Central School District: $904,123 or 1.83%

In Cattaraugus County, Gowanda Central School District is $1,608,498 or 3.25%.

The project is for improvements and upgrades to various BOCES facilities in the region.

According to a BOCES statement, each school district will make five installment payments on or before July 15, 2027, July 15, 2028, July 15, 2029, July 15, 2030, and July 15, 2031.