Superintendent Susan Swartz said her second budget with the Scotia-Glenville School District is one that expands academic programs as well as the transportation system. The $44.57 million budget, which will result in a modest 2.68 percent tax increase, is up from last year’s by about 6.1 percent, but members of the school board said the initiatives in the budget are well worth the increase. The budget was adopted at the Monday, April 2, board meeting.
This is a budget that boosts our academic programs, said Swartz.
She said the board worked in a very cohesive manner, and the budget process this year really reaches out to all grade levels.
`This budget will affect every grade in a positive way. The board is proud to present this plan to our district’s residents,` said Swartz.
The proposed tax rate would translate to about $19.74 per $1,000 of assessed value for homeowners.
Swartz said that the tax rate would most likely cease once state aid to the district is finalized. The state budget passed April 1.
Highlights in the district’s budget include $135,000 for the purchase of three new buses, $8,000 to repair the roof and playground at Glendaal Elementary; and the addition of a central registrar that the board hopes will help alleviate enrollment problems.
Swartz addressed enrollment issues with the board by giving them current kindergarten registration numbers.
Some families who were assigned to schools outside of their `zone` last year may now have the option to return to the home school. Board president Margaret Smith said she feels that the parents who may be given this option need to make a decision soon so that the district may keep a close eye on numbers.
`We must give parents a choice and a deadline. We need answers on returning to home schools or not, because it gives us a better sense of how many we need to have at each of our four elementary schools,` said Smith.
For the past several years, the district has had to reassign incoming kindergarten students to Lincoln and Sacandaga to even out the increase of incoming students at Glendaal and Glen Worden.
The budget also includes funds for a full-time middle school foreign language teacher, a part-time art teacher, which will allow kindergarten students to have art education; a part-time physical education teacher; and several part-time teaching assistants.
`Many areas of the budget, such as health care, heating costs and special education came in under budget,` said Swartz.
The budget and candidates for two seats on the board will go before the public at a hearing at the middle school on Wednesday, May 2. The community will vote on the budget and the open school board seats May 15.“
