ITHACA, NY -- The Board of Education has revealed the proposed 2021â22 Ithaca City School District Budget. The total budget comes out to $145,179,885, which is up 6.09% from the year prior, an unusually large jump for the district. The increase comes from some contractual obligations, such as $2.69 million in salary increases and $1.89 million in employee benefits increases, as well as pandemic circumstances, with $1.19 million of the figure attributed to COVID-19 staffing. Additionally, non-personnel costs related to COVID, such as hand sanitizer, PPE and the like, account for another half a million dollars. According to Superintendent Dr. Luvelle Brown, the budget puts them at a tax levy increase of 2.96%, which he said is right at the tax levy limit this year. Despite that, he said, he anticipates the tax rate will go down. Itâs estimated that a $200,000 home will see a decrease of $7.60.