School Board adopts budget with 0.6% tax hike

by Kathy Duff
Grand Island Dispatch, April 6, 2007

Grand Island School Superintendent Robert Christmann presented a budget forum to the Board of Education and the attending public in the Veronica E. Connor Middle School Monday night.

The point of it all was to communicate how the $47,341,765 price tag for the 2007-08 school year was determined, what the anticipated expenditures and revenues are, and what the impact on students and Grand Island taxpayers would be. At the end of the presentation, the public was allowed questions, and the board had the opportunity for comments and to vote on adoption of the budget.

The budget proposal will be up for a public vote on Tuesday, May 15.

Christmann began his remarks with a reiteration of his long-term philosophy for shaping how and where monies go. “We want to build a foundation for success at the elementary level … (and) develop a budget that is fiscally responsible.” The superintendent emphasized that the budget process represented not only his work, but also input from building principals, the assistant superintendent for business and finance, administrators and other district personnel.

Tax Increase Less than 1 percent

On the revenue side, state aid for 2007-08 is estimated at $15,678,244, with real property taxes coming in at $26,064,385. Other monies from state sales tax, interest income, the prior year’s budget balance ($2,000,000) and other miscellaneous sources round out the revenues.

Christmann emphasized a very conservative tax rate increase for Grand Island taxpayers: 0.8 percent, a figure which has subsequently dropped to 0.6 percent following the receipt of additional state aid. Of the tax rate increase, Christmann said, “When you have projection of a tax rate, legally you could increase it.” The superintendent, though, pledged that the increase would indeed be no higher than projected.

Factors that could vary the projection are the level of New York state aid, the total assessed town property values, actual tax rates that will not be set until August, and the equalization rate. (The equalization rate, a ratio of the assessed property values in the town over the market values, is 51 percent for Grand Island.) Of particular interest in the way of major budget increases are:

• $721,130 for salaries (including $200,714 for increased staffing at the kindergarten to third-grade level).
• $86,275 for utilities
• $19,680 for gasoline

Other possible increases include:

• $3,000 for postage
• $20,000 for science lab tables
• $50,000 for high school administration (including an additional vice-principal)

Questions on Transportation, pre-K

Comments from the audience at the forum were few, but Ronald Moscoe of Ransom Road did raise a transportation question. He is concerned about what he called “empty school buses” – bus runs with very few students per bus. Christmann acknowledged that transportation needs some streamlining and “that will be addressed” in the near future.

Another question came from Pat Hurld of Woodstream Drive. She asked why students’ eligibility for the proposed pre-K program could not be determined by a “needs test” rather than the lottery system Christmann had talked about at the March 26 Board of Education meeting. Christmann replied that the rules for pre-K, as outlined by New York state, make it illegal to assign pre-K funding based on need, but must be made available equally to all age-appropriate children.

At the conclusion of the budget presentation, School Board President Richard Little called for a vote on adoption of the 2007-08 budget. Approval from trustees was unanimous. Upcoming pertinent dates on the school budget calendar are:

• May 1: The budget will be available for review.
• May 7: There will be a budget hearing.
• May 15: The public will vote on the budget.

The next School Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 24, at 7 p.m., in high school room 108. The BOCES budget is on the agenda.