Jeanette Wolfberg is reporting for The Columbia Paper Hudson schools officials March 5, presented a $54.1 million budget for the 2022-23 school year at a meeting of the Hudson Board of Education. District voters will be asked to ratify the spending plan on May 17. Voters will also be asked to elect five of the board’s seven members. The $54.1 million plan represents a 3.6 percent, or $1.9 million, increase over the district's current budget of $52.2 million. The proposal assumes $26 million in state aid and requires a $25 million tax levy. Forty-eight percent of the district's proposed revenue will come from state aid. The tax levy increase could be as high as 4.57 percent, according to state law, but Superintendent Lisamarie Spindler previously promised to keep the increase under the maximum allowed. The transportation costs are up 10 percent because of the rising costs of labor and fuel. Teacher retirement costs will increase 22 percent, but total employee benefits are up only 1.6 percent. Health benefits are expected to increase by less than 1 percent. Tuition for students with disabilities placed out of the district will increase by 14 percent and the district will spend $333,000 to hire new social workers. On May 17, HCSD voters go to the polls in Hudson, Greenport and Claverack. Information is available at HudsonCSD [dot] org. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.