Schenectady City School District

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Budget Update
May 20 2010

Newly elected board members Andrew Chestnut and Ronald Lindsay were sworn in to office at the Schenectady City School District's Board of Education meeting last night. Chestnut is serving the remainder of Joyce Wachala's term which expires 2012. Lindsay is completing Jim Casino's term through 2011.

Among the meeting agenda items was the defeated budget and how the board will move forward. The Board of Education has the option of putting the same budget up for another vote, putting a modified budget proposal up for a vote or moving directly to a contingency budget.

Board members did not make a decision at the meeting on how they will move forward. They have requested additional budget information from Superintendent Eric Ely to review at upcoming meetings.

The board will continue discussions on Monday, May 24 at 7 p.m. in the Schenectady High School Commons. They are also scheduled to meet on Wednesday at 8 pm and Thursday at 7 pm.

If the Board of Education decides to put the same budget or another budget out for a revote, the budget hearing will be held between June 1-8. The vote would be held on June 15.

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Budget Vote & Election Results

On May 18, 2010, Schenectady voters defeated the $161,605,468 million 2010-2011 budget proposal:

1,601 yes votes | 1,822 no votes

Exit Poll Results

Next Steps:

The Board of Education can:

put the same budget up for another vote
put a modified budget proposal up for a vote
move directly to a contingency budget.

If the board decides to present the budget (revised or not), for another vote and it is defeated a second time, the board must adopt a contingency budget.

The contingency cap is $160,708,288. The estimated tax levy under contingency is $54,354,980 which is $2,201,950 or 4.22% increase over the current tax levy.

Board of Education Seats

1. Cathy Lewis - 2,506 votes

2. Ann Reilly - 2,401 votes

3. Andrew Chestnut - 1,843 votes

4. Ronald Lindsay - 1,471 votes

Cathy Lewis and Ann Reilly will enter in to three year terms (2010-2013) and will be sworn in on July 1, 2010.

Andrew Chestnut serve the remainder of Joyce Wachala's term, which runs through 2012.

Ronald Lindsay will fill the remainder of Jim Casino's term, which ends 2011.

Chestnut and Lindsay will take office on May 19, 2010.

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2010-2011 Budget

Budget at A Glance

Total Proposal: $161,605,468

Tax Levy Increase:
5.94%

Budget, Property Tax Report Card & Exemption Impact Report Here

Budget Video

BUDGET NOTICE
Overall Budget Proposal

Expenditures

Revenues

If the proposed
budget is defeated

Budget Newsletter

Voter Information

New Optical Scan
Voting Machines

The New Voting Machines Video

Polling Places

2010-2011 Budget Proposal

Spending plan includes
more than $5 million in cuts

The Schenectady City School District Board of Education approved a $161,605,468 spending plan for 2010-2011. The adopted budget, which is $980,968 more than the current year for a 0.6 percent spending increase, carries a 5.94% impact on the tax levy. The plan includes widespread reductions totaling more than $5 million. Schenectady taxpayers will head to the polls on May 18 to vote on the spending plan.

Board of education members spent nearly three hours Wednesday evening discussing the fiscal situation and trying to find ways to reduce the budget and the tax levy, without negatively impacting programs.

Board members reviewed a long list of prioritized potential non-mandated reductions provided by Superintendent Eric Ely. They debated most of the items on the list and the impact such cuts would have on students. A few of the cuts that were decided at Monday's meeting, including the elimination of Arabic and two string instrumental teachers, were reintroduced as part of the discussion. In the end, they were not cut from the budget.

While many positions are being cut from the budget, the majority will be absorbed through attrition and therefore will not result in layoffs.

Reductions included
in the budget:

Savings	Action
$ 905,000	Blodgett Elementary School will close. The school will be converted to an academy for middle school students (grades 7 & 8) with a technology-driven instructional approach. The program will provide intervention and supplementation. Funding for the new program will come from the Contract for Excellence and grants.
$900,000	Instructional Coach Positions will be eliminated. These positions are filled by 14 master teachers who will return to the classroom next year. The temporary teachers currently filling those classroom teaching positions will not be invited back.
$450,000	30 Paraprofessional Positions will be eliminated. This cut should not result in job loss but will be accomplished through attrition. Vacant positions will not be filled.
$208,000	Middle School will be reduced by 3.2 teachers. These positions have not yet been identified.
$130,000	2 Foreign Language teaching positions will be eliminated. This will result in the loss of 2 jobs.
$130,000	The high school Family and Consumer Science program will be eliminated. This includes two positions but will not result in job loss. One position will be absorbed through attrition. The other will be reassigned to a middle level vacancy.
$65,000	1 Behavior Specialist Position will be eliminated. This will not result in job loss. The position is currently vacant and will not be filled.
$15,000	The Freshmen Basketball Program will be eliminated.
$30,000	1 Secretarial Position is being eliminated. This will not result in job loss. A current vacancy will not be filled.
$65,000	The Advanced Placement Program at Schenectady High School will be reduced by 1 teacher.
$260,000	4 secondary teachers will be funded in other ways for high school restructuring. This will not result in job loss.
$65,000	1 clerical position in the business office is being eliminated. This will not result in job loss. A current vacancy will not be filled.
$150,000	The Young Scholars Program, currently purchased through BOCES will be discontinued. The district will allocate $50,000 to create a new program within the schools.
$468,742	The district is changing the health insurance HMO's from "community rated" to "experience rated" plans.
$732,000	With the closing of the Albany charter school in June, the district anticipates two-thirds of the students will return to the district and result in savings.
$50,000	The district is reducing the duplicating, mailing and newsletter budgets.
$500,000	The Operations and Maintenance Department will reduce spending on personnel, supplies, materials and overtime.
$24,000	Strategic Planning allocation to buildings will be reduced by $24,000
$5,147,742

Throughout the budget process, Ely and board of education members have reiterated that they do not want to cut any programs. But while costs continue to increase and State Aid significantly decreases, reductions across the board are necessary.

Schenectady started out with a carry-forward budget that is $6 million more than the current year. That's how much more it would cost to continue doing everything the district is doing without making any cuts. That increase coupled with State Aid projections that are $7 million less than the current year, leaves the district and city taxpayers looking at a gap of more than $13 million.

School Board President Maxine Brisport urged parents, staff and community members to contact legislators. "Next year will be even tougher than this year," said Brisport. "Hopefully the state will provide more money. Our district is devastated."

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Exit Poll Results

Budget Glossary of Terms

Election & Budget Dates