There is a series of community forums planned leading up to the formation of the Niskayuna Central School District’s 2012-13 budget. A total of six community budget forums are planned from December to February, all focusing on different areas. The series begins on Tuesday, Dec. 6, with a session on class sizes, combination classes and class rotations. All forums will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Van Antwerp Middle School auditorium.
Dec. 6: Class size, combination classes, and class rotations
Dec. 20: Administration & Previous budget reductions
Jan. 10: Special Education and support services
Jan. 24: Program and course offerings & Extracurricular activities
Feb. 7: Community use of facilities
Feb. 28: Outsourcing & Shared services
To download discussion materials for the first meeting click here Click the web address to take the district’s survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NiskayaunaBudget2011 Each forum is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. prior to the start of every Board of Education at the Van Antwerp Middle School auditorium. Each forum will start with an introduction for the focused topic. Time will be set aside for community members to provide input and ask questions. Superintendent Susan Salvaggio said based on current projections, the district is faced with making $3.5 million in budget reductions to live within its means and the state mandated tax cap. “The only way to bridge a gap of that magnitude is to look closely at these major areas in partnership with our community,” Salvaggio said in a statement. “We look forward to difficult, but necessary conversations on these important issues.” Salvaggio said outsourcing certain areas of district operations should be discussed, because evaluating all options is necessary to create a fiscally responsible budget while preserving as many programs and services as possible. She pointed to areas like transportation, buildings and grounds maintenance and the school lunch program. “This does not necessarily mean that we will outsource any areas of our operations,” Salvaggio said. “It simply means that we believe it is important to investigate our options and have the conversation with the community.” District officials expect the possibility of shared services with area school districts and local governments to be discussed. Salvaggio said she hopes there is strong community participation at the forums.
“These are unprecedented fiscal times for school districts,” she said. “It is our responsibility to gather all of the information possible and have meaningful conversations about the major issues before making budget decisions that will have such a significant impact on our community and our children.” School officials plan to post discussion materials on the district’s website before forums to help inform residents. The district also plans to post all budget presentation materials and answers to frequently asked budget questions on its website. The Board is planning to formally begin reviewing 2012-13 budget options in early March.
For future community budget forum dates and topics visit the district’s website at www.niskyschools.org