BOCES school districts OK administrative budget

PORT EWEN, N.Y. » The school boards in Ulster BOCES’ eight component districts have adopted BOCES’ $5.6 million administrative budget for 2018-19.

Seven school boards voted in favor of the spending plan. The Saugerties board opposed it.

Earlier this month, members of the Saugerties board voiced objection to a 28.3 percent jump in the district’s share of BOCES administrative expenses, though the district’s total cost for BOCES services in the coming year will be down by 5.3 percent.

The BOCES administrative budget for 201819 is 36.2 percent larger than the 2017-18 package, but BOCES’ overall 2018-19 budget of $55.5 million is 16.8 percent smaller than its 2016-17 counterpart.

Only the administrative budget is voted on by BOCES’ component school districts.

BOCES officials say the jump in administrative expenses is due largely to a 36.2 percent increase in retiree benefit costs. They say those benefits account for 72 percent of the administrative budget.

Post-retirement health insurance and medicare payments for 2018-19 are expected to be $4 million, up 65.6 percent from the 2017-18 level.

Other spending in the new administrative budget includes $1 million for salaries, up 0.9 percent; $574,758 for employee benefits, up 11.1 percent; $226,716 for contractual expenses, up 4.5 percent; $175,299 for operations and maintenance, up 5.5 percent; and $107,497 for service programs, up 10.6 percent.

Re-elected to the BOCES board were Robert Curran of Onteora, Susan Gilmore, of Highland, James Shaughnessy of Kingston, and Vincent Petrocelli of Wallkill.