School Superintendent’s goal: No increase to taxpayers

Just weeks away from adopting a proposed budget for the 2022-23 school year, Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D., is seeking to close a $42,715 gap enabling the Board of Education to present a budget requiring no increase in taxes for property owners.

There are several ways of achieving that aim, he said at the fifth budget workshop Monday night. If an increase in State aid alone doesn’t close the gap, it would likely take using a combination of some or all of the following:

• Further cuts in spending.

• Allotting more money from the district’s  appropriated fund balance — money that was appropriated for the current school year, but not spent.

• Allotting more money from other special funds.

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) budget called for an increase in State aid, and while the Legislature tends to increase a governor’s request, it’s unlikely to fully close the gap.

The total budget currently projected for the next school year is $12,435,803, of which $11,016,572 would have to be paid by taxpayers to equal what they paid to support the current school year. If there are no changes in revenue or spending cuts, based on current numbers, the increase to taxpayers would be 0.76%, still well below the 2% state-imposed tax cap.

There are further cuts that have been made in spending since the fourth workshop on Feb. 28, including: an across the board 2% cut on materials and supplies; a cut of $2,840 in travel and conference costs; a decrease of $5,000 in unemployment costs; and a $1,950 decrease in the repairs and maintenance budget.

Mr. Doelger also called for using $30,000 in each of the reserve funds set up to hold Teachers Retirement and Employees Retirement mandatory contributions.

Taking more money than first intended from the appropriated fund balance would serve the district well since it’s been under the state comptroller’s direction to reduce that money to no more than 5% of the overall budget request. If the budget proposal remains at $12,435,803, that would allow for an appropriated fund balance of $621,790.

The unappropriated fund balance is currently projected to be $680,000, down from the 2018-19 amount of $770,556 after the report.

The bottom line for taxpayers is still a few weeks away before it’s determined. But one sign is expected by April 1, when the State budget is expected to be finalized. That would give the administration and Board of Education 10 days to finalize its budget request on April 11.