What's on Webster's May 19 School Ballot: A $227M Budget, Two Propositions, and an Uncontested Board Race

Webster Central School District residents will decide on a $227,089,425 spending plan for 2026-27 on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Polls are open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Webster Schroeder High School Gym, 875 Ridge Road. Voters will also weigh two propositions — diesel buses and a renewed capital reserve — and fill two three-year Board of Education seats.

The proposed budget is 3.10% larger than this year's. The district says that is below the 4.37% average for Monroe County school districts, and that the plan stays within New York's tax cap for the 15th straight year.

What it costs taxpayers, and what the tax cap means

The proposed property tax levy — the total the district collects from property taxes — rises from $127,549,054 to $131,877,689, an increase of $4,328,635, or 3.39%.

Under New York's tax cap law, each district calculates a maximum allowable levy using a formula tied to the lower of 2% or CPI (this year, 2.00%), local growth, and capital adjustments. Webster's cap for 2026-27 is $131,877,689 — the same figure as the proposed levy, meaning the district is taxing right at the cap, not above it. A levy at or below the cap needs a simple majority; a levy above it would need 60%.

The rate per $1,000 of assessed value varies by town and won't be finalized until August. Estimated 2026-27 rates: Webster $29.36 (+2.31%), Penfield $18.57 (+1.08%), Ontario $17.66 (-8.86%), Walworth $18.16 (-8.86%); composite "true value" rate $12.63 (-8.35%).

State aid covers about 33.2% of revenue; the property tax levy covers 58.1%. Foundation Aid — the state's main per-pupil formula aid — is projected to rise 2.9% for Webster. Per the district's Feb. 3 presentation, Webster is set to receive the second-highest dollar increase in Foundation Aid in Monroe County, behind only Rush-Henrietta, driven by a 245-student enrollment increase and the county's largest jump in poverty measures.

What's in the budget

The total breaks into three parts: Program $177,098,534 (78.0%), Capital $32,922,361 (14.5%), and Administrative $17,068,510 (7.5%). On the expense side, benefits lead at 29.5%, followed by instruction at 25.6% and special education at 11.4%. Per-pupil spending in the proposed budget is $27,495, below the Monroe County average of $30,402.

The district says it is making no further cuts to building-based budgets, reducing staff only through attrition, and keeping athletics, co-curriculars, and BOCES programs intact for its more than 8,000 students.

The two propositions

Proposition 1 — Bus purchase. Voters are asked to authorize $1,800,000 to buy ten 66-passenger diesel buses, financed over five years with first payments in 2027-28. The purchase is eligible for roughly 68% state transportation aid. There is no electric bus on the ballot this year. The district cites regulatory uncertainty from Albany, an EV bus ordered last year that hasn't arrived, and an ongoing assessment of local charging capacity.

Proposition 2 — Capital reserve. Voters are asked to authorize a new $45,000,000 capital reserve fund with a 10-year term, replacing the current reserve, which the district says has reached its funding and time limit. The $45 million is a savings ceiling, not an immediate expenditure — the district has 10 years to fund it as conditions allow, and any spending from it would require separate voter authorization for a specific project. The reserve is a way to pay cash for future construction, avoiding interest and issuance costs, while still drawing state building aid as if the work had been bonded. It is a different mechanism from the $115 million capital improvement bond Webster voters defeated in May 2024 by 30 votes (755 yes, 785 no).

Board of Education: two seats, two candidates

Two three-year seats are up. Only two candidates filed by the April 21 petition deadline, so the race is uncontested — both will be elected absent a successful write-in. Board members serve without pay.

In ballot order:

1. John Barker (newcomer) — Professor at the University of Rochester in the Frederick Douglass Department of Black Studies and the Susan B. Anthony Institute. PhD from U. of R., BA from SUNY Oswego. Prior dean roles at U. of R., Tufts, and the University of Miami. Father of two WCSD students.
2. Janice Richardson (incumbent) — Board member since 2020 and president for four years. Reading specialist for Greece Central Schools and the 2014 Greece Golden Apple Teacher of the Year. Webster High graduate; degrees from St. John Fisher. Three of her four children attend WCSD.

How to vote

When: Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Webster Schroeder High School Gym, 875 Ridge Road, Webster.

Voter registration is not required, but proof of residency is — a driver's license, non-driver ID, utility bill, or voter registration card all work. Voters must be U.S. citizens, at least 18, and WCSD residents for at least 30 days.

Absentee and early-mail ballots: Applications are at websterschools.org or from District Clerk Heather Murphy — (585) 216-0001, heather_murphy@webstercsd.org. Mailed applications must be received by the clerk at least seven business days before the vote; pickup applications are due the day before.

What to watch

If voters reject the budget, the district can revote on June 16 or move to a contingent budget. The newsletter pegs the contingent-budget shortfall at $4,328,644 — essentially the full levy increase — and warns it would likely mean staff layoffs, program reviews, and an equipment-purchase freeze.

Last year's budget passed roughly 71%-29%. The margin on Proposition 2 is the one to watch: Webster voters approved a $525,000 EV bus last year by just 122 votes and rejected the 2024 capital bond.

The Webster Ledger covers WCSD as a regular beat. Tips, documents, or coverage requests: news@websterledger.com.

Sources: WCSD Spring 2026 Budget Newsletter; 2026-27 BOE Tax Cap Overview; Feb. 3 Tax Cap & Governor's Budget Proposal; 2026-27 Budget Development Calendar; District Clerk's Office. Full documents at websterschools.org/budget.

AI tools were used in drafting and research.