Thank you to the New Paltz Central School community for approving the 2009-2010 school budget.
Congratulations to our newly-elected Board of Education members Kathleen Tobin Flusser & Daniel Torres, and to our re-elected member Donald Kerr.
Official results will be posted on Wednesday.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT and for participating in the elections.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
Details about the budget the Board of Education unanimously adopted last night (April 15, 2009) are now available on the tabs of the blogsite. The proposal carries a budget-to-budget increase of just over half a percent (0.57%) and is $1.63 Million LESS THAN the District is allowed under a NYS-mandated Contingency Budget.
The community will be able to vote on the budget on May 19 from 12 Noon to 9 PM at New Paltz High School. A Budget Hearing will also be held May 6 at 7 PM at NPHS.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
The blog is currently being updated with details of the 2009-2010 Proposed Budget that was unanimously adopted by the Board of Education last night (April 15, 2009).
The proposal caries a budget-to-budget increase of just over half a percent (0.57%) and is $1.63 Million LESS THAN the District is allowed under a NYS-mandated Contingency Budget.
Specific details will be available on the tabs of the blog shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
At the community forum, much discussion was centered around finding savings in the transportation department. (see Community Forum Summary.) One area that was mentioned several times was adjusting the number of buses used daily to account for the students whose parents drive them to and from school. Mrs. Rice told the audience that the district was required to provide a seat on the bus for every eligible student, regardless of whether or not they actually rode the bus. After the forum, the District sought clarification as to whether busing could be formally adjusted to account for these circumstances.
According to the New York State Education Department:
“A school district may not request that parents voluntarily sign a waiver of their rights to pupil transportation services for their eligible children. You may not waive what you have a right to under the law. Even if a parent should sign such a document, the school district would still be bound by Education law section 3635 and be required to provide pupil transportation on any school day that the child is present at the bus stop or school and requesting transportation service.”
This regulation severely limits any major changes the District can make to adjust busing levels to account for eligible students who do not normally ride the school bus.
MORE FROM TRANSPORTATION
Research provided by the American School Bus Council reveals that the most inexpensive method of transporting students to and from school is by the school bus, as well as the most environmentally conscious. To read about the findings, click School Buses Save Community Money.
Using their worksheet of calculations, their findings hold true for the New Paltz Central School District as well. Review the Estimated New Paltz Fuel Savings.
Additional information about the transportation department was posted to the Transportation tab of the blogsite on March 4, including the number of students transported on each route and the results of a K-12 Route Consolidation Study.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
The blog has now been updated with the new information about the Superintendent’s Revised Budget. Each section that has been changed is labeled with the word “Revised.” A new tab with information regarding the District’s anticipated relief from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (AARA) has also been added. Your feedback is very important to us. Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the Leave/View Comments section.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
Details of the Superintendent’s Revised Budget proposal, which reflects a 0.04 percent budget increase and carries a 4.48 percent tax levy increase, will be posted to the blog shortly. Please check back on Friday for full details.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
There were many questions and comments at the Community Budget Forum regarding transportation. A new Transportation tab has been added to the blogsite and contains data on the percent of students utilizing district-provided transportation, as well as the findings of the transportation department’s study on consolidating to K-12 Routing.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | No Comments »
Just over 50 community members joined the Board of Education for the February 25th Budget Forum to discuss the Superintendent’s Preliminary Budget Proposal, which calls for a 0.16 percent spending increase and – without the discovery of new revenues to replace the loss of State Aid – results in a 6.99 percent tax levy increase.
As the Board listened to the various comments and ideas being shared at the Budget Forum, some residents expressed the desire to make NO further cuts to the Preliminary Budget Proposal. The Board of Education deeply desires to know what the community thinks about the Preliminary Budget. A summary of the ideas/comments shared at the meeting will be posted soon.
PLEASE, take a moment to answer the following TWO question poll on what direction YOU would like to see the Board of Education take in developing the 2009-2010 School Budget. The survey can be accessed by clicking HERE.
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
Preserving the high quality education the New Paltz Central School District is known for, yet doing so in a manner that is affordable to the community, was the goal in developing the preliminary 2009-2010 school budget.
“Our country is struggling with a grim fiscal reality. We have made hard choices about our programs, our efforts, and our direction,” says Mrs. Rice. “Staying true to our mission and vision is being tested. We know that without sufficient resources we cannot provide the learning opportunities and educational programs our students and community are accustomed to, but costs keep rising and the revenue, especially this year, has fallen. We need solutions to this dilemma.”
Mrs. Rice and the Board of Education are reaching out to the community for ideas about possible alternatives. Residents are asked to share their input, feedback, and suggestions about what the District can do.
Visitors are asked to review the information presented in the pages of the blog and offer comments on the Preliminary Budget Proposal, as well as any ideas to generate additional revenue for the budget. So all visitors can easily engage in and follow the discussion, all comments will be collected on the Leave/View Comments section of this site, unless otherwise noted.
In addition to the blog, the District is hosting a community forum on the budget on Wednesday, February 25 at 7 PM at the High School.
“The schools, ultimately, belong to the community, and everyone has a stake in the budget and its impact on both the quality of education and taxes,” Mrs. Rice says. “It is important to seek ideas and input from those who are most impacted by the decisions we make.”
Filed under: Budget Feedback | | Comments Off
