The budget came into focus, and the tax cap is 2.89%. Business chief Dr. Georgia Gonzalez said the most the district can raise taxes without a supermajority vote is 2.89% and she recommended going out at that full amount to protect programs and build for future years. For a $100,000 home, that works out to roughly $48 more a year; for a $300,000 home, about $144. The pressure is almost entirely on costs the district can't avoid. There are raises of about 4% across all nine employee unions, a 10% jump in health insurance, big increases in state pension contributions, and roughly 10% higher utilities. On top of that, the district wants to add a workforce/career and technical education director, a security guard, math and biology teachers at RFA, door-security upgrades, two diesel buses, and a list of building repairs. The board expects to adopt the budget April 1.

The May 19 budget vote is now official. The board set the annual vote for May 19, with polls open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., a public budget hearing on May 11, and voter registration days May 4 and 5. Polling sites will follow the city's wards, as in past years.

The board signed a five-year lease for the old Rome Catholic school. The district will lease the former Roman Catholic Academy building on Cypress Street for pre-K classrooms and offices, pending state approval. It's a multi-year financial commitment, but it frees up space the district needs as it works through its elementary-building project.

Two schools dodged a state takeover. Under the state's accountability system, Bellamy and Gansevoort had landed on the lowest-performing tier four years running. But by working with the state on improvement plans, the district won a full reset, putting every school back at "year one." Some schools improved (Bellamy posted the district's biggest academic growth), while others slipped (Denti dropped to that lowest tier this year). Superintendent Nerlande Anselme was blunt that even schools the state hasn't flagged, like Ridge Mills and RFA, have real gaps, and that staff who refuse to meet expectations won't be tolerated.

A wave of veteran teachers is retiring. The board accepted the retirements of a dozen longtime staff almost all effective this July. It's a significant turnover that will reshape both the staff and, over time, the budget, since senior teachers are typically replaced by lower-paid newer ones.

Fort Stanwix school is officially sold. The sale of the former Fort Stanwix school closed on February 20, finishing a deal the board ordered about a year and a half ago. The building is now off the district's books and its insurance.

A tax settlement and some outside money. The board settled a tax challenge from a Taberg Road business, agreeing to lower its assessment for next year while leaving the prior two years unchanged. On the brighter side, it accepted $12,500 from NYSTEC and a smaller gift from the Project Fibonacci Foundation for a hands on STEAM program, and launched a grant funded after school esports program at RFA and Strough at no cost to the district.

Career training is expanding, plus routine business. The superintendent reported that a welding program will open in September at MVCC's Rome campus, with the electrical program expanding and CNA training under discussion. This is part of a push to prepare students for local jobs as employers move into the area. The district also said secure entrances at its last two elementary schools should be finished by mid-March. The board moved several policies forward and approved a combined girls' lacrosse team with Camden.