Ted Remsnyder is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the Catskill Board of Education last week adopted a proposed $48.6 million budget for the 2022-23 school year, a 5.48 percent increase over the previous year. District voters will weigh in on the proposal on May 17. The spending plan includes a 1.85 percent tax levy increase, less than the state-mandated tax cap of 3.52 percent. The tax levy will raise $20.34 million in revenue. In an email message that accompanied the proposal, Catskill Superintendent Ronel Cook said the district would apply $3.36 million from its fund balance to reduce the tax levy. The administration’s goals in crafting the budget included maintaining pre-K and kindergarten programs at Catskill Elementary School and maintaining the same level of funding for books, supplies and materials for all students in the district. The seats currently held by Allan Couser, Patricia Dushane and Andrew Varone are up for re-election. Voters will also be asked to decide a proposition to fund the purchase of a new school bus and additional equipment for the district. "The proposition would allow the district to borrow up to $400,000 over a five-year period to replace aging maintenance and grounds equipment, as well as purchase a 16-passenger school bus for field trips, after-school extracurricular activities and other special area student transportation needs that are not easily met through our contracted busing service,” Cook wrote. The district expects to receive $20 million in state aid during the next school year. District officials will hear public opinion on the 2022-23 annual budget on May 4 in the Catskill High School library. The annual budget vote and school board election will take place 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 17 in the in the high school library. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.