On
May 20, 2008, Schalmont Central School District residents voted by a margin of
568 to 510 to pass the proposed $41,550,000 budget for the
2008-09 school year.
Two candidates,
Carl Strang and Kevin
Thompson, submitted petitions to run for the two three-year
seats available on the school board. Strang received 760 votes
and was elected to a third term on the school board. Thompson
received 737 votes and was elected to a second term on the
school board.
By a margin of 588 to 469,
voters passed the school bus
purchase proposition asking voter permission to purchase
three large buses and two small buses for $381,000. Schalmont is
eligible for state aid reimbursement on a portion of the total
cost, so the real cost to the district for all five buses will
be $163,865. Schalmont’s current fleet will not increase because
older buses will be traded in towards the purchase of new buses.BALANCING THE
BUDGET
The 2008-09 school budget is a
$1,456,248, or 3.63 percent, increase in spending over
the 2007-08 school budget. The district will
continue several
cost-saving measures and cut some positions due to declining
enrollment, but most expenditure areas are expected to increase
in 2008-09. The areas most significantly contributing to the
spending increase include teacher salaries, health insurance and
transportation. For more details on the expenditure areas, look
to the budget newsletter, which was mailed to district
residents in early May, or click here
for a brief budget Q&A.
Schalmont looks to all other revenue
sources before it looks to local taxpayers to cover the cost of
education. After factoring in other revenue, such as
state aid, the proposal
balances the budget with a 2.99 percent increase in the
school tax levy
(i.e., total amount of money the district collects from local
taxpayers). This is the lowest percentage increase in the last
five years.
“Our goal has always been to be fiscally
responsible without losing sight of what students need to
succeed in today’s world,” said Michael DellaVilla, president of
the Schalmont Board of Education.
The school board adopted the
Homestead Tax Option last
year in response to the Town of Rotterdam property reassessment.
District officials will not set school tax rates (i.e., amount
of tax residents pay per $1,000 of home value) for homestead and
non-homestead properties until August 2008. In the meantime, the
school board has approved all possible school tax exemptions,
and many taxpayers may be eligible for a
STAR exemption.
CREATING THE
BUDGET
Board members and administrators began
planning the 2008-09 budget in the fall of 2007 and sought
feedback from community members before adopting the current
proposal in April.
DellaVilla said, “Our community places a
high value on their children’s education, but they’re feeling
the pinch everywhere – gas, food, even paper. We kept their
concerns in mind and looked for ways to provide a great
education and still cut costs.”
The proposed budget focuses on:
maintaining and expanding
existing instructional programs,
taking cost-saving
measures and making cuts where appropriate,
increasing fiscal
responsibility,
maintaining and updating facilities, and
continuing to improve
school security.
UNDERSTANDING THE
BUDGET
Budget information is posted on this website and was
presented in greater detail in a special issue of the
district newsletter.
Residents are invited to
share their thoughts on the budget by e-mailing
superintendent@sabrenet.net.
