Proposed budget would hike levy by 2.56%

Onteora school district trustees are reviewing a proposed $57.94 million budget that would increase the district tax levy by 2.56 percent in the 2020-21 school year. At a Board of Education meeting Tuesday, March 10, officials said the proposed budget would increase spending by $535,044, or 0.93 percent, while the amount to be raised by property taxes would increase by $1.12 million to $44.76 million. The proposed levy increase is even with the state’s limit for allowing a budget to be adopted with a simple majority of district voters.

Among school officials’ concerns are proposed changes in the state budget that would limit aid for some expenses that are often the least predictable, including those for BOCES programs that help students with special needs who are new to the district.

“The governor is trying to change the formula

aid,” said Monica LaClair, the district’s assistant superintendent for business. “He is actually looking to add some of the expensebased aid as part of the formula aid. One piece of that is the BOCES aid.”

LaClair said the district currently is reimbursed 36 percent of its BOCES (Board of Cooperative Educational Services) costs.

“What the governor is trying to do is cap the increase,” she said. “So we could potentially spend a million dollars more in BOCES, but our BOCES aid would be capped.”

The proposed budget includes:

• Instructional costs at $26.99 million, up $233,227, or 0.87 percent.

• Employee benefits at $18.41 million, up $587,902, or 3.3 percent.

• Transportation expenses at $4.89 million, down $13,126, or 0.27 percent.

• Operations and maintenance costs at $2.94 million, down $101,618, or 3.34 percent .

• General support costs at $2.14 million, down $65,703, or 2.97 percent.

• Debt service at $694,719, down $177,262, or 20.3 percent.

• Athletics at $638,57, up $71,624, or 12.63 percent.

Officials have also proposed a ballot proposition that would establish a capital reserve account funded with up to $10 million over 10 years. The account would be used to pay for projects identified in a district building condition survey that is expected to be completed next year.