School Board nervous about budget vote

by Kathy Duff
Grand Island Dispatch, March 24, 2006

The Grand Island Board of Education will continue to discuss the second draft of the 2006-07 district budget at its regular meeting on Monday, March 27. Concern among board members and administrators continues to grow over the public possibly voting “no” to a proposed budget for the second year in a row.

Grand Island schools have been operating on a budget with a zero-tax increase during the 2005-06 school year, after the first budget put before voters in spring 2005 failed to pass.

The 2006-07 budget, which will be formally adopted by the board in April and voted on by Grand Island residents on Tuesday, May 16, now shows a 6.9 percent increase over 2005-06. The second draft places high priority on maintaining 2005-06 services, adds two teaching positions to accommodate a projected enrollment increase and shows a decrease in health-care costs for teachers.

Board members and Superintendent Thomas Ramming have stated at past meetings that the costs of operating schools increases each year, especially in areas of fuel consumption for transportation and heat. However, school aid from Gov. George Pataki’s state budget is likely to remain static.

Board members say voters have told them they don’t want to see their taxes go up next year, yet they want a strong program for students. People also have expressed concerns about funding for field trips, after-school bus runs, daily cleaning of district buildings and class sizes, especially on the elementary level.

Tracey Lane resident and father of six, Kevin Rustowicz, said in an interview with the Dispatch on Wednesday that he, too, gets “mixed messages” from discussions he has had with other taxpayers.

“I very much believe in public education. People need to vote,” Rustowicz said. “I hope that the board revisits areas (in the budget) where they might be able to make adjustments.”

The March 27 meeting of the Board of Education will be held at 7 p.m. in the high school small cafeteria.