The Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Board of Education presented the 2010-11 district budget to the town of Glenville on Wednsday, April 21, to open up discussions of proposed shared services with the municipality.
Board of Education Vice President, John Blowers, outlined the budget which the board has recently approved and will present to voters on May 18. The budget of $$53.4 million would show a tax levy increase of 2.2 percent for those in the district and a loss of 25 full-time equivalent positions alongside cuts to programs and athletics. The school is talking to municipalities that feed into the district to inform them of the budget and open up talks about shared services.
In a presentation to the board, Blowers and fellow board of education member Elizabeth Herkenham talked about the possibility of shared services in buildings and ground supplies, maintaining vehicles, and the support of economic and commercial growth to alleviate the tax burden of residents. According to information from the district, a majority of the income for the district in 2009-10 came from property tax, totaling at 61 percent. Herkenham said they are working with the local towns that send students to the district to find ways to better use resources such as fuel and paper products more effectively.
What we’re hoping to do is partner with our local towns to identify areas that we might be able to share services and resources we have more effectively, she said.
Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle said the idea of shared services with the district could work, using the examples of salt and gas purchases for vehicles and the cleaning of vehicles and would like to see if the other towns that are in the district, like Ballston or Clifton Park, would also want to get involved in the shared services.
`I would like to anticipate getting more municipalities and school districts involved in the talks,` he said.
The Burnt Hills-Ballston Spa board of education will meet again on Tuesday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. at the Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School. The town of Glenville will meet again on Wednesday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Glenville Municipal Center.
“