Clymer’s school board discussed the district’s budget, gave an update on the merger study, and approved an agreement with BOCES for a capital project. P-J photo by Sara Holthouse

CLYMER — As school district budget season approaches, the annual budget newsletter has been sent out to Clymer School District residents, also including notes on what is next for the C/S/P Merger Feasibility Study and where it currently sits.

Superintendent Beth Olson said during the April Board of Education meeting that the insert included in the budget newsletter with the merger study information has a date wrong for the next upcoming joint board meeting, set for June 16 and not June 17. A correction has been sent out for that and a second mailing will be sent out following the May budget vote.

“In the budget newsletter it highlights what we’ve talked about extensively over the last several months about where our budget is for the 26-27 year,” Olson said. “Our tax levy increase is .15%, so close to zero. … A balanced budget we hope everyone can get behind so we can keep it low key because we want our focus to be on the study and our process with that.”

A budget public hearing is scheduled for May 6 at 6 p.m. in the Helm, with the annual budget vote scheduled for May 19.

The merger study itself, Olson said, is currently in a holding pattern with a leadership meeting that was held the day after the Board of Education meeting, and each of the boards having visited each respective school. The final walk through of Sherman Central School was also held the day after the meeting, which Olson said gives the boards a chance to have eyes on each of the buildings so that when recommendations come there will be more context.

“The study report is going to State Ed as of Friday, May 1, and will go from there,” Olson said. “If you remember we also talked about a building repurpose study or the test-fit study. SWBR’s representative was here yesterday and did a walk around our building. He estimated about a three week timeline before he has something preliminary back to us, but he did do a walk through of all three districts yesterday.”

Olson said this timeline seems to fit in with where they want to be with the presentation of the final report for the study.

One other money related item discussed and approved by the board at their April meeting was an agreement with BOCES for their capital project. Business Official Jarret Wiggers went over the agreement with the board, saying that the project was for multiple things that have to happen in order to keep the BOCES buildings safe with basic mechanical needs, along with some other items they would like to have done but could wait. The overall cost is $49.5 million, and Wiggers added there is also a list of what buildings need what, and that at a meeting at BOCES they were able to see pictures of what conditions a lot of the buildings were in.

“It appears to be some things that are definitely ready to be addressed,” Wiggers said.

As for how this project affects the district, the project itself will be scoped out over five years Wiggers said, with help financing from all 19 of the component districts for BOCES, of which Clymer is included. Wiggers also addressed the timeline of the project and the aid the district will be receiving for it with the board. Clymer’s overall payment toward the project is $597,743. For budgeting purposes, Wiggers said they will see aid coming back in for each payment in the same year that each payment goes out. Some of the larger districts involved have a larger share of the project as well, with Clymer’s share being 1.21%.

“All in all we felt this was a very reasonable ask for them,” Wiggers said. “This is a project that was put off a year, so we actually expected for this to kick off this year. Some communication hangups resulted in them pushing this back a year to allow districts to plan and budget for that going forward.”

The agreement with BOCES is a unanimous joint agreement between all of the districts, which Wiggers said means it has to be approved by all districts to go forward. The agreement was approved by Clymer’s Board of Education.