Veterans' School Tax Exemptions

Veterans' School Tax Exemptions have been approved for Schodack Residents whose homes are in the Schodack Central, Averill Park, E. Greenbush and Ichabod Crane school districts.

The Boards of Education for the Averill Park, East Greenbush and Ichabod Crane School districts have approved a limited tax break for some veterans including some who sustained disabilities from their service.

These exemptions will be automatically calculated in school tax bills for September so long as the home-owner veteran already has the counterpart veterans exemption in place on his or her residence.

The following information has been obtained from the relevant Boards' various publications:

Schodack Central School Board

The Schodack Central School Board approved three separate resolutions. Relevant excerpts are linked here: Basic Veterans Exemptions, Exemptions for Gold Star Parents and Spousal Exemptions.

Schodack Central School District Director of Business and Support Services, Monica Kim, has offered to answer questions about each of the three resolutions. Ms. Kim's contact info:

Postal Mail:
Monica C. Kim, CPA
Director of Business and Support Services
Schodack Central School District
1216 Maple Hill Road
Castleton, NY 12033

Phone:  (518) 732-2124

Averill Park School District

The Averill Park School District has approved the limited exemption for veteran-residents of that district as "Board Policy 6216." The following is excerpted from the Board's resolution:

... pursuant to Real Property Tax Law Section 458-a, the Board of Education hereby adopts the Alternative Veterans Exemption, permitting exemptions of 15%, and additional 10%, and 50% of the veteran's disability rating as Determined by the Veterans Administration or Department of Defense, for wartime veterans, combat veterans and veterans who sustained a service-related disability, respectively, pursuant to the following maximum exemption amounts:

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that Gold Star parents, defined as those parents whose child died in the line of duty while serving in the United States Armed Forces during a period of war, shall be considered a "qualified owner" for purposes of eligibility for the Alternative Veterans Exemption; ....

East Greenbush Board

According to its press release, the East Greenbush Board approved the exemption (newly allowed for School Districts by the State) with the following maximum limits:

A qualified residential parcel receives an exemption equal to 15% of its assessed value up to $6,000. Where the veteran can document service in a combat theater or combat zone, the property receives an additional exemption equal to 10% of its assessed value up to $4,000. Where a veteran has received a service-connected disability rating from the VA or the DoD, there is an additional exemption which is equal to one-half of the disability rating, multiplied by the assessed value of the property up to $20,000.

The East Greenbush Board also approved the exemption for a parent whose child died in the line of duty while serving the United States armed forces during a war (Gold Star Parent) and allowing a qualifying individual to transfer the exemption when relocating a primary residence within the same municipality.

Ichabod Crane School District

Ichabod Crane's statement on its approval of the exemption includes these points:

The IC Board also authorized the Gold Star parent provision which extends an exemption to parents whose children died in the line of duty while serving during periods of war.

New residents seeking to make initial application for any Veteran tax status should consult this office. Requests for clarifications of the above may be directed to your School District Board of Education.