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May 15 2012
2012 Budget and School Board Election Results
Budget
On May 15, 2012, Schenectady voters approved the
$156 million
2012-2013
budget
proposal:
1,201
yes votes
|
420
no votes
The 2012-2013
budget is $446,511 (.3%) more than the current year and is
within the property tax levy limit with an impact of minus .2%.
The budget closed
what began as a nearly $7 million gap and includes a long lists
of cuts and cost-saving measures.
Thank you for your support!
Proposition
1,171 yes votes | 436 no
votes
Voters
(approved
the proposition to renew lease agreements with the Roman
Catholic Diocese of Albany for the Katharine Burr Blodgett and
Franklin Delano Roosevelt buildings.
Board Seats
Congratulations
to Andy Chestnut and John Foley who were each elected to three year
terms effective July 1, 2012.
Andy Chestnut: 1,024 votes
John Foley: 940 votes
Barbara Metcalfe: 595 votes
Daniel Garrow: 400 votes
They will be sworn in on July 1, 2012.
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April 19 2012
Board of
Education adopts 2012-2013 budget
Budget closes $7 million gap, preserves full range of
instructional programs & is within tax levy limit
The Schenectady
City School District Board of Education unanimously approved a
$156,035,655
spending plan for the 2012-2013 school year at the Board of
Education meeting held Wednesday, April 18. The proposed
budget is $446,511 (.3%) more than the current year and is
within the property tax levy limit with an impact of minus .2%.
A budget
hearing will be held May 2 at 7 p.m. in the Schenectady
High School Black Box Theatre. Schenectady residents will
head to the polls to vote on
the spending plan on May 15.
The proposed
budget closes what began as a nearly $7 million gap. It
includes a long list of cuts and cost-saving measures. The
plan includes a reduction of 48 positions overall.
"It was clear
that we could no longer afford to continue our current school
and district operations as they are today," said Superintendent
John Yagielski. "It would be impossible to avoid changes.
The real challenge we faced was to identify and select changes
that would allow us to continue the range of instructional
programs and services so critical to the success of our
students."
Each of the
board of education members acknowledged that the budget "isn't
perfect," but in light of the lack of revenues, including state
aid, and the beginning gap of $7 million, they expressed
gratitude for the creativity and work done to balance the budget
and supported the proposal.
Over the last
few months, Yagielski addressed the difficult challenge of
balancing the budget by:
1.
Identifying alternative, less costly ways of operation
2.
Reviewing multi-year plans for the use of fund balance
including reserve accounts
3.
Identifying positions and items within the expenditure
budget that the district will simply have to do without.
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2012-2013 Budget
..
Projected Revenues
$156,035,655
Chart
[pdf]
Preliminary
Budget
$161,308,055
Reductions
Alternative Ways of Operating
($3,610,300)
Review of Multi-Year Plans
($636,000)
Remove Items and Positions
($1,026,100)
Expenditure Budget
$156,035,655
Chart
[pdf]
Gap
$0 |
Complete List
of
Proposed Changes for the 2012-13 Budget
to close the gap
Total: $5,272,400
Alternative Ways of Operating: $3,610,300
This includes:
1. Modify Pre-K
program offerings to reduce impact on
General Fund Savings: $575,300
2. Implement new
extended day schedule
Savings: $1,200,000
3. Combine
Regular and Turnaround High School Principal
position Savings: $130,000
4. Review of bus
runs with new starting and dismissal times
Savings: $200,000
5. Middle School
Reorganization
Savings: $1,300,000
6. Schenectady and RPI students to write a lottery program
Savings: $5,000
7. Return
selected students from out-of-district placements
Savings: $200,000
Review
Multi-Year Plans: $ 636,000
1. Adjust
Restricted Reserve Accounts
Savings in revenues
2. Restructure
Debt Service Plan
Impact on 12-13 budget: $500,000
3. Renegotiate
Leases on 3 Facilities
Savings: $136,000
At the April 4
meeting, Yagielski proposed that the following positions and
items be removed from the budget in order to close the remaining
gap of $1,026,100
Positions and
items to be Removed from the Budget:
$1,026,100
1. Health
Insurance Initiate Buy-Out Option
Savings: $278,000
2. Reduce BOCES
Communications Support
Savings: $ 20,000
3. Replace
retiring principal with a coordinator
Savings: $150,000
4. Reduce work
year for selected employees by 5 days
Savings: $120,000
5. Eliminate 7.1
positions
Savings: $458,100
1.0 - Chief
Technology Officer
2.0 - Magnet
School Resource Teachers
1.0 -
Pre-First Teacher
.5 -
Secretary
.6 -
Nurse (St. John's)
1.0 - Utility
Worker (Attrition)
1.0 - Cleaner
(Attrition)
Clearly this
budget reflects considerable change for students, families and
staff, said Yagielski. He pointed out however, that the budget
preserves the full range of instructional programs and services.
"These are so critical to the success of our students," said
Yagielski. The proposed budget also reduces overall costs
to match available resources, including the Property Tax Levy
Limit.
Upcoming
Schedule
May 2
Public Hearing on the 2012-13 Budget
May 15
Community vote on the 2012-13 Budget
School Board Election
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