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Garrison Proposed 2007-8 Budget Shows 1.33 Percent Spending Increase; Tax Rate Decrease of 5.63 Percent
Capital improvements proposition to go before voters
by Margaret Sternberg
At its March 21, 2007 meeting, the Garrison Board of Education announced their proposed 2007-8 budget showing a 1.33 percent budget-to-budget increase over the 2006-7 budget. Despite the increase, taxpayers in the school district, which includes residents of both Philipstown and Putnam Valley, can expect a decrease of 5.63 percent in their school taxes based upon assessments per tentative tax roll figures obtained from Putnam County.
Philipstown taxpayers paid $18.26626 per $1,000 assessed value for the 2006-7 school year and can expect to pay $17.238548 for the 2007-8 school year, a decrease of $1.03 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Putnam Valley taxpayers, who paid $8.43901 per $1,000 assessed value for the 2006-7 school year, can expect to pay $7.964209 for the 2007-8 school year, a decrease of $0.47 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Superintendent Gloria Colucci said that a contingency budget, which the district would be required to adopt if the voters twice defeated the district's proposed budget, would yield a higher tax rate than the proposed budget. In addition, the imposition of a contingency budget would place severe restrictions upon the school, including the elimination of public use of the school's facilities and the disbanding of the sports program for the school year.
A number of factors contributed to the expected decrease in the tax rate. The school experienced $564,185 in savings from the 2006-7 budget, of which over $223,000 were derived through savings in Special Education salaries, tuition and BOCES Special Education services. The school saved almost $91,000 in high school tuitions at O'Neill High School when the actual Non-Resident tuition came in approximately $800 lower per student than the district had been paying. The district saved $177,000 on instructional salaries through attrition and other means. Other areas of savings were diesel fuel, transportation, heating oil and textbooks, all of which cost less than had been anticipated. These monies went into the undesignated fund balance, which the Board later proposed using for capital improvements for the school.
The district also saw $371,972 in immediate savings in the 2007-8 budget, having reduced the amounts allotted in all of the same areas in which the district showed a savings in 2006-7. In addition, the district will see a nearly $21,000 savings in debt service as loans are paid down or retired.
The 2007-8 proposed budget shows spending increases of $479,322. Almost $110,000 is in the area of employee benefits, attributable to a 12 percent rise in the cost of health benefits and an almost 10 percent rise in the costs for the Teachers' Retirement System and employee retirement funds. Three teacher aides will be needed in both Special and Regular Education, adding $65,442. The guidance counselor and school psychologist positions will become full-time, at a cost of $46,357. Legal fees will increase almost $49,000. The new financial software package will cost $29,500, and other increases are seen in the areas of plant operations, the transportation contract, which rises based upon the Consumer Price Index, special education service providers, special education tuition, salary step increases, and the costs of the external auditor due to additional state requirements in auditing schools.
In compiling the budget, the School Board's Budget Committee canvassed the Education, Technology and Facilities Committees for recommendations on what should be included. The budget reflects proposals for ELA curriculum maps, the integration of performing and visual arts into the curriculum, the introduction of foreign language in the fourth and fifth grades and professional development in differentiated instruction. Also included are interactive SMART boards for classrooms, an upgrade of the local area network infrastructure, the replacement of outdated computers and professional development in the use of new technology.
Nor was the taxpayer forgotten. Joyce Blum, a member of the Budget Committee who attended the meeting that evening thanked the Board of Education for taking $100,000 from the district's 2006-7 Undesignated Fund Balance, adding it to the district's revenues and thereby contributing to the lowering of the tax rate.
In a budget-related move, and acting upon the recommendations of the Facilities Committee, the Board approved putting a capital improvement project proposition before the voters at the same time the budget is voted upon. The proposition requests voters authorize reconstruction to the roof, due to substantial leaking, at a maximum estimated cost of $175,000. Additional projects the Board said would be undertaken, but that will not be mentioned specifically in the proposition, include completion of the window replacements, bathroom improvements in the original building, maintenance shed and paving work, and the replacement of the cafeteria floor. The maximum costs for these improvements would not exceed $483,720.
The total cost for all of the repairs would not exceed $658,720 and would be paid for through the use of the 2006-7 undesignated fund balance of $564,185 and through $94,535 in State EXCEL Aid. The Board emphasized that by using the district's undesignated fund balance and state aid that is given without conditions for a capital improvement project, the project carries no additional cost to the taxpayer and involved neither any borrowing nor any debt service.
In other business, the Board approved a $15,000 budget transfer to be used for the upgrade and consolidation of the school's basement electrical panel. There was no new information on any of the litigation with St. Basil.
Closing out the meeting, Mrs. Blum proposed that the Board not schedule the Spring Concert on the same day as the elections, noting that the number of additional cars created a lack of parking, as well as other factors creating "chaos" for those interested only in voting that day. She said that she didn't think it was "fair to the average voter" and said that the proposal for re-scheduling the concert had been made for a number of years with no success; the reason given being the requests had not been made far enough in advance.
Superintendent Colucci said there is now more parking and the location of the voting machines was being re-considered to address the issue. The discussion was dropped with a view toward seeing what happens this year.
The next meeting of the Garrison Boards of Education will be Wednesday, April 18, at 7pm.
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