Liverpool board approves budget, but job-cut dispute continues

Liverpool Central School District leaders approved a 2026-27 budget that closes a $13 million hole on paper, but the argument over staffing cuts is far from settled. The Liverpool Central School District Board of Education passed the plan 5-4 even as members continued to clash over which jobs should disappear before voters weigh in on May 19.

The budget keeps the district’s overall spending level in place while relying on almost 80 full-time job cuts to help fill the gap. Among the positions identified in earlier reporting are six teachers on special assignments, 32 teachers’ assistants and one teacher each in math, science and English. Those cuts have raised the biggest question hanging over the budget: how to balance the books without stripping away classroom support that families notice every day.

Superintendent Rick Chapman said he brought forward the same budget after consulting his advisory team, school leaders, union leadership, principals and other contributors. He told the board the district needed a majority-driven process and stood by the plan he presented. Matt Jones pushed back, saying he wanted the budget to reflect more of the board’s suggestions and objecting that members were being handed the same proposal again. He later voted reluctantly yes.

The district, which serves 6,627 K-12 students and had an 88% four-year graduation rate in 2024-25, has been wrestling with this budget since early April, when the board delayed a vote in an 8-1 decision. At that point, the district said the budget gap was nearly $17 million and that 78 positions were under consideration. One plan would draw $12.5 million from reserves, covering most of the shortfall, while staffing cuts would save a little more than $4 million. The proposal also carries a 3.3% tax levy increase, right at the New York State cap.

Any changes still have to be made seven days before the public vote on May 19, when residents will decide the budget and also elect Board of Education members at the District Office on Blackberry Road in Salina. With the deadline approaching, Liverpool is still facing the same suburban dilemma seen across Onondaga County: whether the district can close a large budget gap without making the classroom experience thinner for the students who depend on it.