From the Desk of the Superintendent:

Scott N. Connell

Emergency Closings:

Information is broadcast on radio stations WTNY (790); WFRY Froggy 97; Z93; The Border 106.7; WOTT 94.1 FM; TV stations WWNY TV 7, WNYF FOX 28; WWTI Newswatch 50; nny360.com;  as well as Parent Square, our website and app.  Decisions to close or delay openings are made by 6:45 a.m. and transmitted to you as soon as possible.

If your phone number has changed or if you wish to add a phone number to the Parent Square system, please call us and let us know.                   

Informational Links, Letters:

COVID-19 Coronavirus Communication:

Mr. Connell

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for the privilege of serving as your Superintendent for the past 14 years. As I approach my 15th year on January 18, 2025, I find myself marveling at how quickly the time has gone by. It feels like only yesterday I was settling into this role, wondering what challenges lay ahead. While the job has been demanding, I can’t imagine being anywhere else. When I first arrived in Copenhagen in the fall of 1982, I thought it would be a short stop—a couple of years before returning to where I grew up. But each year, my admiration for this school and community has only grown stronger. The support I’ve received from the Board of Education, the staff, and the people of Copenhagen has been truly humbling. This community is extraordinary, and it’s been a privilege to consider it my professional home.

January / February 2025 Newsletter  

   Scott Connell

JANUARY / FEBRUARY, 2025

I want to share with you a few pieces of news about our district:

Capital Improvement Project

Thank you to everyone who participated in the vote on our capital improvement project this past December. We are pleased to share that the project has been approved, and we will now begin collaborating with the State Education Department. This process typically takes nine to twelve months, and if everything proceeds smoothly, we anticipate starting construction in the spring of 2026.

2025-2026 School Budget

Over the next four months, the Board of Education and administration will work diligently to develop a budget that balances fiscal responsibility with maintaining the high-quality education CCS students deserve. While this year’s financial projections are challenging, we remain hopeful that the state will uphold its constitutional obligation to provide a quality education for all students in New York. I will keep you informed as the budget process progresses. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

Important Dates and Winter Weather Information

Looking ahead, school will resume after the Christmas and New Year's break on Monday, January 6, 2025. There will be no school on Monday, January 20, 2025, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and no school on Wednesday, January 29, 2025, in recognition of the Lunar New Year. January Regents exams are scheduled from Tuesday, January 21 through Friday, January 24, 2025. If you have any questions or concerns about the Regents exams, please contact the Guidance Office.

In February, school will be closed on Monday, February 17, 2025, for Presidents' Day, followed by winter recess from Tuesday, February 18 through Friday, February 21, 2025.

As we settle into winter, December has brought the familiar cold and snowy weather that defines life in the North Country and Tug Hill region. Information regarding school delays and closings will continue to be communicated through ParentSquare, our website, our Facebook page, and WWNY-TV Channel 7. Stay warm and safe!


As always, thank you for your continued support of our district.

Sincerely,

Scott N. Connell

Superintendent of Schools  

2024-2025 BUDGET INFORMATION

Dear District Residents,

The purpose of this document is to provide the taxpayers of the Copenhagen Central School District with an overview of the proposed school budget for 2024-2025.

The 2024-2025 proposed school budget is $12,368,425, an increase of $342,001, or 2.84%.  We are proposing a tax levy increase of 2.88%, or $53,062.   We are able to balance the budget by appropriating $648,191 of fund balance and $150,000 of reserves.  Please refer to page 12 of this document to view a comparison of the tax levy trends for the past fifteen years.  We would like to use the remainder of this document to explain highlights of the next fiscal year budget.

As many of you are very aware, the majority of the revenue of the district is New York State and Federal aid.  As the state and federal aid from the pandemic relief funds comes to an end, school districts across the state are managing the challenging return to pre-pandemic operations.  We continue to strategically plan expenditures to maintain a safe, healthy educational environment for our students, staff and community.  While those additional funds have been a blessing to our district, students, and community, they have ended, and we must navigate ways to responsibly balance our budget while striving to maintain the influx of services and supports that our district has grown accustomed to.  In doing so, many of the supports incorporated into our educational process are now being covered by district monies, thus accounting for a significant portion of the budget increase year over year.

Another budget component that is important to be aware of is New York State’s property tax cap law, which is a calculation that establishes a tax levy limit for each school district. The tax levy limit allows school districts to change their property tax levy from one year to the next by two percent, or the rate of inflation, whichever is less, based on a multi-step formula. In the multi-step formula, school districts must apply inclusions and exclusions into the formula, which may boost the district tax levy limits to more than two percent or the inflation rate.  However, such inclusions and exclusions may also reduce the tax cap of the district to figures that are not sustainable or realistic to implement.  If a school district’s proposed tax levy increase is within its calculated limit, a simple majority (50% or more) of voters is needed for budget approval. If a school district’s proposed tax levy increase exceeds the tax levy limit, a supermajority of voters (60% or more) would be required for budget approval.

The tax cap this year is 2.88%, which aligns directly to the tax levy increase proposed to support the district budget this year. 

The 2024-2025 Annual Budget Review meeting will be held on May 7, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. in the school cafeteria. There will be an opportunity to ask questions during that time. The budget vote and election will take place at school on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 from 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. in the gym foyer.  If you would like an absentee ballot, please notify the District Clerk.

If you have any questions, or would like additional information, please contact the Superintendent’s office at 315-688-4411.

Sincerely,

BOARD OF EDUCATION

COPENHAGEN CENTRAL SCHOOL

 

2024 - 2025 BUDGET DOCUMENT

"Our mission is to be a community of learning, where all students are afforded a variety of educational opportunities; where measurable graduation outcomes are established which guarantee the education of the whole student; and where an atmosphere of respect, caring and trust promotes success and focus on student responsibility."