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WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. February 28, 2006: The School District presented a revised Preliminary School Budget to the Board of Education Monday evening lowering the budget for 2006-2007 to $166,142,423, an increase of 7.4% over this year ($154,759,198) projecting a tax increase of 8.1% for residents in 2006-07.
The Board of Education Meeting Under Way Monday Evening at Education House. Three citizens, in addition to Superintendent’s Cabinet members and one reporter attended. Photo, WPCNR News.
The new $166,142,423 budget assumes the city tax assessment roll is the same as this year. If assessments are up, the tax increase will be less. If they are down, the tax increase will either escalate, or other budget cuts would have to be considered.
The news on assessments and PILOTS is scheduled to be delivered to the City School District Finance Committee today, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business, Terence Schruers. WPCNR asked the Mayor’s Office Tuesday morning for an indication of whether assessments were even, up, or down from last year, and so far they have not have responded.
The Cuts. Photo, WPCNR News.
Of the $1.3 Million cut from the budget presented last week, $320,000 in interest was saved by the district deciding to bond for certioraris after June 30, 2006, saving the interest. Schruers said it was the district information that no new certiorari settlements would be approved over the next four months, and that the $8 Million in bonding the district expects to do could be executed after June 30, allowing them to move the certiorari interest payment into the 2007-2008 year.
Another $513,000 in salries, benefits, and retirement contributions, was saved by reducing 3 Professional Staff positions, one in Highlands, and in Art, Music and Physical Education, and eliminating one non-instructional Special Education elementary position, one position at Highlands, and one clerical position.
$125,000 was saved by renegotiating payments to BOCES Technology; $58,000 on Transportation; $60,000 in Tuition (for outside placements of students); $50,000 in Capital Repairs was moved to next year.
The Revenues. Photo, WPCNR News
On the revenue side, Schruers presented a chart that showed the district was estimating $8 Million in PILOT payments in 2006-2007, and projecting $135 Million in taxes, up from this year’s $125 Million, indicating that at this moment, White Plains taxpayers can expect an 8.1% increase in their taxes providing the Tax Roll stays at the present $304 Million.
Schruers also presented a three year projection of the budget that predicts a budget of $189 Million in 2008-2009. That budget projection assumes assessments hold steady at $304 Million, and do not decline. If assessments go up, tax increases should be modest.
Schruers, speaking to WPCNR, said the 2008-2009 projected budget includes a 4% pay raise for the White Plains Teachers, which will begin to impact in 2007-2008. (The teachers’ contract expires in June, 2007).
The 2008-2009 projection assumes no additional bonding for certioraris or the capital improvements to the 9 school district buildings and two fields now being considered by the district. If the district decides to bond for those capital infrastructure improvements, (presently $31 Million is being considered), the debt service will increase the 2008-2009 budget about $2.5 Million to $191 Million. If more bonding is needed for certiorari refunds, the debt service will go up.
Bill Pollak, School Board Member, dryly observed the $1.3 Million in cuts for 2006-07, “was still bad news. The new projections (for 2006-2007) show a tax increase of over 8%.”
Donna McLaughlin, Board President, asked Mr. Schruers to project how the number of students (currently averaging 20 a class) in classes would affect the budget in terms of eliminating teacher positions. Mclaughlin said she wanted the Annual Budget Committee to see how many teaching positions could be eliminated by reducing some grades from five classes to four, for example.
Timothy Connors advised that the budget was still a “work in process,” and that more savings might be found.