North Colonie’s Board of Education unanimously voted yes to a $102.7 million budget for the 2015-16 school year, which includes initiatives for full-day kindergarten and new state mandates for English language learners.
The board will officially adopt the budget Tuesday, April 21, but board members approved the proposed budget at its meeting last Monday, April 13. The budget, to be voted on by the public in May, includes a nearly 3 percent tax levy, which is within the state mandated tax cap. It also includes a $1.5 million increase in state aid.
“It wasn’t an easy budget,” said Superintendent of Schools Joseph Corr. “We were operating in the dark for a good portion of” the budget process.
The state’s late release of school aid runs meant challenges for school districts around the state, but Corr said North Colonie was confident in the budget voted on by the board of education last Monday.
If voted in by residents, the budget will increase 1.33 percent, or $1.3 million from 2014-15. The total amount of taxes will increase about $2.3 million.
The two of the largest changes from the current to next school year would be the conversion to full-day kindergarten as well as efforts to meet new state mandates for English as a New Language (ENL) programs.
Corr said that while full-day kindergarten will include hiring five new full-time teachers, the cost of $365,065 will be largely absorbed by staff rearrangements.
A third grade section will be gotten rid of at Southgate Elementary due to enrollment, leaving that teacher to possibly be transferred to a kindergarten section. Two instructional coaches, assigned to aid teachers with common core standards, would also be reassigned.
As well, one and a half special education teachers will be added to the program, also covered by staffing rearrangements. The district is hoping to initiate co-teaching models, both with full-day kindergarten and ENL, in order to better help students. Previously, students with special education needs stayed a full day in kindergarten, one half of the day spent with fellow students, the other half spent in a special education classroom.
Now, the district wants to put special education teachers in classrooms for the second half of the day, so those students don’t miss out on the extra help previously provided.
Full-day kindergarten also means that five classrooms in district elementary schools will need to be revamped, totaling about $50,000 for furnishings and $25,000 for supplies.
However, much of the cost for program needs outside of staffing is covered by bus run reductions. Moving to full-day kindergarten means 2 bus drivers will be reduced from eight-hour shifts to six-hour, saving the district $153,293. Fuel savings total about $25,000.
In total, the district expects about $410,406 in expenditures for full-day kindergarten. When taking into account the estimated $611,210 in one-time state aid for the conversion, which may go up when full enrollment comes in and students begin school, the district will see virtually no impact.
Efforts to meet new ENL mandates include hiring one full-time teacher at the high school level and translators for summer registration. As well, the district is setting aside $25,000 for teachers who want to expand their certifications to include ENL for a total of $103,613 in program expenditures.
Other programs include remodeling art department course offerings to better fit college standards, and adding a Fundamental Math 7 program, eliminating the G level math, to better help students.
Over all, the district proposes a $773,288 savings in staffing changes, which covers adding staff for kindergarten. While no staff will be losing any positions, some retirements will not be replaced.
By way of revenue, the district will see $19.5 million in state aid and a little over $1 million going towards restoring the Gap Elimination Adjustment. Nearly $1 million will come from the district’s reserve balance, although Corr said the district is hopeful that money will not be used.
“Revenues balance the expenditures right down to the single dollar,” said Corr. “We were able to present a budget, which I believe offers new programming… in a fiscally sustainable way.”
The next step in the budget process is the board of education officially adopting the 2015-16 budget. A public forum will be held Wednesday, May 6, with the budget going up for public vote Tuesday, May 19.