Niskayuna Board of
Education adopts proposed 2007-08 school budget
Projected tax rate and spending increases at
lowest level in four years
The
Niskayuna Central School Board of Education
unanimously adopted a recommended $63.2 million
budget for the 2007-08 school year during its
March 26 meeting.
District residents will vote on the proposed
plan on Tuesday, May 15 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at
Niskayuna High School.
The proposed budget of $63,226,454 shows an
increase of $2.9 million, or 4.8 percent. The
projected tax rate increase would be 4.25* percent
across all towns.
[*Reflects revised estimate as of April 4.] If the budget is approved, the
average homeowner in Niskayuna would pay
approximately $28.80 per $1,000 of assessed
property value. For a home assessed at $135,000,
school taxes would increase approximately $158.
"Through a collaborative effort between
administrators, staff and the Board of
Education, we have developed a budget over the
past three months that does more than merely
maintain the status quo,” said Superintendent
Kevin Baughman. “This plan is designed to move
the district forward.”
The proposed budget would expand academic
offerings and invest in indirect instructional
services to meet student needs. It includes
funding to:
- Update the
district‘s technology curriculum by
introducing several new courses that build
on existing program, and Project Lead the
Way, a pre-engineering program that offers
hands-on project-based learning to encourage
students to pursue highly technical careers.
- Restore
key positions that had been eliminated in
prior years budgets, including a Director of
Counseling K-12 and a fourth administrator
at the high school. The counseling director
would coordinate guidance services, oversee
student course scheduling, serve as a
liaison to colleges and universities, and
provide leadership for the district’s
counselors and social workers. With
significant construction and renovations set
to begin this summer, an assistant high
school principal would be instrumental in
maintaining strong personal connections with
students and staff, while acting as
community liaison for the duration of the
building project.
- Provide
for the implementation of an emergency
notification system to inform parents
quickly and efficiently in cases of school
emergencies and closures.
- Preserve
staffing levels necessary to create
sufficient sections and combinations to
maintain small elementary class sizes.
- Restore
summer professional development activities
for faculty that focus on collaborative
review of teaching practices and student
achievement.
- Plan for
the implementation of additional
academic-based activities for high-achieving
students.
Baughman pointed out that the proposed 2007-08
budget reflects a downward trend in spending and
tax rate increases in the district in recent
years.
“During the past three years, the district’s
budget-to-budget spending increases have been
between 6 and 8.5 percent,” he said. “The tax
rate increases have ranged between 6-7 percent.”
Other items appearing on the May 15 ballot
On May 15, residents will also vote on a
$577,475 bus proposition, which would fund the
purchase of five full-size buses and two smaller
buses. The new buses would replace older ones
that have high mileage and are becoming
expensive to maintain. This proposition does not
affect the projected tax rate.
Four seats on the Board of Education are also up
for election May 15. The three candidates
receiving the most votes will serve three-year
terms, beginning July 1, while the fourth
highest vote-getter will serve out the remaining
term of former school board member Richard
Mathews, who resigned from the board in January.
Community members who want to learn more about
school board candidates are invited to attend
"Meet the Candidates Night" on Tuesday, May 1 at
7 p.m. in the Van Antwerp Middle School
auditorium.
The Board of Education will host a public
hearing at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 7 in the
district office board room, at 1239 Van Antwerp
Road, to discuss the budget and hear community
comments. A district newsletter detailing the
proposed budget will be mailed to residents in
early May.
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