M-W superintendent proposes $126.5 million school budget

M-W superintendent proposes $126.5 million school budget

Spending would increase 7.17 percent, By Michelle Rugnetta

Central Valley - Monroe-Woodbury School Superintendent Joseph DiLorenzo’s first budget proposal for the district totals $126.5 million, which would increase spending over the current austerity budget by 7.1 percent.

DiLorenzo, who joined the district at the end of last year, said that less than one percent of the total proposed budget can be tied to “discretionary” purchases, such as the creation of several new teachers’ aide positions in the district and the re-paving of the North Main Street School parking lot and playground, an improvement that has been postponed since the 2004-05 school year.

The remainder of the 7.1 percent increase is tied to budget items such as increasing fuel costs, contractual obligations to staff, insurance and student services, such as special education support, provided by BOCES.

“I believe (that) this budget is the appropriate budget,” DiLorenzo said during his presentation to the School Board Wednesday night. “It maintains staff and services at current levels, while providing a safe environment for our children (as well as) exemplary programs. We gave a good hard look at it and came up with something appropriate for the community.

“I don’t know if we could have been more conservative than that,” he added.

Approximately 71 percent of the total proposed budget will fall on the shoulders of those who pay school taxes in the district. The remainder will be covered by state aid.

The increase in the average estimated school tax rate, based on the proposed budget, would be 5.96 percent to the homeowner. “But,” DiLorenzo noted, “that can be increased or decreased (by others associated with the final tax bill.).”

The budget will be submitted to voters on May 16. If the proposed budget does not pass the vote, a contingency budget in the amount of $124.5 million will be adopted, which will force a $2 million decrease to the proposed budget.

“Two million dollars is a lot of money to get to in terms of cuts,” DiLorenzo said.

Those decreases would be absorbed by capital or building and grounds expense reductions, administrative cutbacks, and program cancellations, such as extra-curricular activities.

“The additional $2 million for the proposed budget, for a homeowner who pays $8,000 in school taxes represents a total of $160 per year, or about $3 a week,” the superintendent said.

The transportation budget shows the highest potential line item increase, aimed to replace old buses with newer models that are in line with NYS school transportation regulations.

“Older buses require expensive repairs and this become cost-prohibitive over time,” DiLorenzo said. The increase, which would total $1.7 million, will be submitted for a public vote as a separate proposition on the ballot.

Two public forum sessions, where the public is formally invited to review all recommendations and make comments directly to the school board, were planned twice during this budget review process. There were no comments from the public at the forum on March 7.

An additional public forum has been planned for May 3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Central School District offices on Route 32.