2010-11 budget preview
District taking hard look at all budget items for 2010-11 school year
march 9, 2010
Schuylerville Central School District, like most
other districts across the state, is enduring a grim budget season.
Governor Paterson has proposed a state budget that contains a 5 percent
cut in school aid. On the surface, that does not sound like much,
especially in hard economic times. Early estimates for Schuylerville
indicate the district could lose as much as $850,000 in state aid next
year.
“Together, the cut in state aid and the increase in expenditures
basically add up to a budget gap of approximately $2.05 million compared
with the current year’s budget,” said Superintendent Dr. Ryan Sherman.
“With this being the case, we’re taking a hard look at all areas of the
budget.”
Major factors affecting the proposed budget
Potential
loss of $850,000 in state aid.
Increases
in health insurance costs: $482,403.
Increases
in employee retirement contributions: $103,874.
Increases
in Medicare reimbursements: $60,531.
Contractual
salary increases: $287,673.
Increase
costs for BOCES special education and career education programs:
$290,894.
Increased
maintenance costs because of the additions to the Elementary School and
Jr.-Sr. High School: $111,438.
The district’s budget development process changed significantly this
year. In previous years, school administrators would work from the
previous year’s budget. “This year, each principal, supervisor and
director had to start from a zero budget and analyze every proposed
expenditure,” Sherman explained. “It’s a ‘zero-based budget’ mentality
and has allowed us to look at needs and items that might be eliminated
or frozen in these difficult economic times. Expenses have been cut by
approximately 11 percent from the original budget proposals in the
Transportation Department, the Elementary School and the Jr.-Sr. High
School.”
The cuts will be in combination with the use of some district reserve
funds. “Thanks to some prudent fiscal planning, the district has some
reserve funds that it can use to offset what might be perceived as
drastic cuts to programs or tax increases. This is part of a four-year
strategic plan,” Sherman commented. “Although we have some reserves,
it’s going to be a painful four years. We are hoping the economy will
begin to recover during this time. To be fiscally responsible, we must
plan for the long-term, and have enough in our rainy day fund to take
care of emergencies to help us through further losses in state aid that
are likely to occur over the next several years. Nevertheless, we also
need to be responsive to our local citizens and their financial
challenges. It is a delicate balance; we are trying to spread out the
financial pain over the next four years.”
However, in order to maintain a budget that meets the needs of both our
students and taxpayers, the district has made several painful decisions
that reflect the economic times we live in. Below is a list of some
programs and personnel that were reduced or removed from the 2010-2011
school budget:
Personnel
3
Elementary School Teachers;
Special
Education Teacher;
Guidance
Counselor;
2
Educational Aides;
Arts-in-Education
Coordinator;
Modified
Football Coach;
Assistant
Track Coach;
Assistant
Soccer Coach;
Communications
Service.
Programs or Services
Homework
Help Program;
5
p.m. Bus Run;
Classroom
Supplies;
Athletic
Field Supplies;
Instructional
Equipment;
Summer
Curriculum Work;
Maintenance
Supplies;
Arts-in-Education
Program;
Various
Co-Curricular Clubs;
Intramural
Program.
This is a very difficult time for our school district; we will do everything in our power to preserve the stellar programs and services for our children. The administration, faculty, and staff will continue to work diligently to prepare our students to meet the demands of the 21st century.
2010-11 Budget Proposal timeline
December
17, 2009: Presentation of Transportation
Department budget and Buildings & Grounds budget to Board of Education.
January
7, 2010: Presentation to Board of Education on costs for
personnel and materials/supplies.
January
28, 2010: Presentation to Board of Education on costs for
BOCES and Special Education programs.
February
25, 2010: Presentation to Board of Education on anticipated
revenues, as well as a rough draft of the proposed 2010-11 budget.
March
25 or April 15, 2010: Board of Education adopts 2010-11
budget proposal to present to voters.
The 2009-10 School Budget
The budget for the 2009-10 school year is $31.1 million. The projected
tax rate increase averages 1.86 percent (plus or minus 2 percent).
Voting on the School Budget
In order to vote on school budgets and in the Board of Education
elections, you must be at least 18 years of age, a resident of the
district for at least 30 days prior to the vote and a United States
citizen.
You are eligible to use an absentee ballot if you are unable to vote in
person because you are: out of the district for work-related or military
reasons, hospitalized, permanently disabled, sick and confined to home,
in jail or on vacation and out of the district. The same requirements
are in effect for all district votes. Click
here to download an
absentee ballot application. [PDF file]
Click
here to link to the district's 2009-10 budget newsletter or
here for a more detailed budget document.
[PDF files]
The vote on the proposed 2010-11 budget will take place on Tuesday, May
18, 2010 from noon to 9 p.m. in the Elementary School. More information
on the budget will be posted as it becomes available.
Saving on Taxes
If you are a homeowner in the district, be sure
to apply for tax savings under New York State’s STAR program. Last year,
property owners in the district who applied for STAR saved approximately
$793 on their school taxes—this is money taken right off the top of your
school tax bill. This year, the amount saved is estimated at $515.
Low-income senior citizens can save even more. Application deadlines are
in March of each year.
Income-eligible senior citizens (over 65 years of age) can apply for
additional tax savings thanks to the district’s tax exemption program.
Under this program, senior citizens with yearly incomes as high as
$37,399.99 can apply for tax reductions. The tax reductions are
determined according to a sliding scale. For example, seniors earning
$29,000 or less can have 50 percent of their assessed property value
exempt from taxation. The scale runs in 5 percent increments down to a
minimum 10 percent exemption. Property ownership, residency and
occupancy status are considered in addition to income. Application forms
for this program are available in your town assessor’s office. The forms
must be filed by March 1 and must be filed every year.
For more information on the STAR program or the senior citizen tax
exemption program, please contact your town assessor:
Easton
Town Assessor: James Rymph, (518) 692-8852
Fort
Edward Town Assessor: Roseann Lemry, (518) 747-7914
Greenwich
Town Assessor: Colleen Adamec, (518) 692-9381, ext. 104
Northumberland
Town Assessor: Walter Smead, (518) 792-9179, ext. 11
Saratoga
Town Assessor: Victoria L. Hayner, (518) 692-3644, ext. 317
Stillwater
Town Assessor: Colleen Adamec, (518) 664-6148, ext. 204
Wilton
Town Assessor: Kathy Austin (518) 587-1939, ext. 202
