While the 27-day late state budget continues to consume lawmakers in Albany, local school boards of education are preparing for next month's election and statewide budget votes — making it difficult for districts to present an accurate school budget to voters.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a conceptual state budget agreement in a surprise evening press conference in the Capitol on Thursday night. Main components of the budget are completed, including $34.5 billion in school foundation aid, which the governor promised to fully fund for the second year in a row.

But nothing is final until the Legislature votes to pass budget bills and the governor signs the 2023-24 $229 billion spending plan into law — something that won't happen until next week at the earliest as more than 800 public school districts across the state complete their budgets.

The delayed deal can hurt transparency for the school budget process, forcing school boards to prepare their finances for the next academic year without knowing how much money is coming from the state.

"I hate to remind you, but in a matter of days, our schools are going to have to present their budgets to be voted on and yet they don't know what funding they're going to be getting," Sen. Alexis Weik, a Republican from Sayville, said in the Capitol on Wednesday. 

While school board members and district administrators finalized their tax levy limit and tax base growth with the state over the last several months, they've been forced to estimate the state's final funding.

Taxpayers will vote on these school budgets May 16, or more than six weeks from the April 1 state budget deadline. The budget, now poised to be completed in May, marks the latest agreement in 13 years.

School boards have worked with the governor's promise and Legislature's backing to fully fund school foundation aid for the second year in a row and an increase of $7 billion. 

But David Albert, spokesman with the state School Boards Association, says the schools' estimates come at a risk until the state budget is passed and signed into law.

"The boards have to adopt these budgets, and they have been doing that over the last three weeks or so," Albert said Thursday. "And you're just assuming that the state will come through with the dollars that they promised through the negotiations. And if not, then schools will have to look at making some budget cuts."

School taxes have the greatest impact on property owners. Without a final state budget, it's difficult for districts to notify voters of the final figures before they head to the polls next month.

New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says Hochul and the Legislature's agreement to prioritize funding foundation aid makes it easier for districts to assume they'll sustain the same state funding as in last year's budget.

But school officials must continue to guess the nuances of how their district will be affected by the final agreement until legislation is published.

"Sometimes, depending on changes and how programs are changing and enrollment levels are changing in some topics like transportation, your even as an overall increase in state aid in the state budget, it may affect each district differently," DiNapoli said.

The verbal agreement from the governor about historic funding for education is encouraging to lawmakers and school administrators, but the comptroller is warning school officials to err on the side of caution and estimate conservatively to give voters the most accurate fiscal picture.

"My advice as a former school board member and a former state legislator is: Don't over guesstimate because you just don't know what the final numbers are going to be," DiNapoli said.

Amid the uncertainty over the last month, state Education Department officials reminded school districts that Hochul, the Senate and Assembly's budget proposals included fully funding the foundation aid formula, or school's main operating aid.

"Districts could base their budget development on those numbers and what they would expect to raise in local revenues," SED spokeswoman Jeanne Beattie said in a statement Thursday. "Budget negotiations are ongoing. The department will continue to advocate for the funding necessary to ensure every student in New York has equitable access to a high-quality education."

Budget bills can start to be printed, but legislative leaders, the governor and her top aides will continue to iron out details of environmental proposals, how to crack down on illegal cannabis stores and health and mental health funding over the weekend. Assembly members are expected to return to Albany for another round of conferencing Sunday night.