NCSD puts forward annual budget plan
NORWICH – The Norwich City School Board offered district residents first glimpse of its $39.7 million budget for the 2014-2015 school year at a regular board meeting held Tuesday.
Despite five consecutive budget increases and an average tax levy increase of 1.26 percent since 2010, the district proposes a zero percent tax levy increase this year while still maintaining class size, extra curricular programs and student services, and refilling several support positions.
“Over the past couple years, we were just trying to maintain those items,” said Norwich Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan. “Now, we are able to turn a corner to strengthen and increase some of our academic programing and extra curricular programming.”
While the district continues battling the same challenges as previous years, including skyrocketing costs for pension and healthcare, the growing academic needs for students warrant more investment in academic programming, said O'Sullivan. The district proposes bringing back summer school, providing more speech therapy services at Gibson Elementary, adding a secondary music position, and growing academic intervention services for math at the middle school and Perry Browne Intermediate.
“We have to put more resources back in the classroom, more resources back into the buildings,” he added.
Although district spending has increased steadily since 2010, spending for the 2014-2015 is projected at 2.15 percent – a slight drop from 2.91 percent in 2013-2014 school year. And while the district has suffered a nearly $7 million loss in state funding over the last five years and faces a $953,800 loss to the gap elimination adjustment (GEA) for the coming year, it can expect a minimal state aid increase of 3 percent.
Norwich has lost nearly $6.5 million to the GEA in the last five years, despite steady budget increases. Said O'Sullivan, “Imagine what we could be doing with an extra $6.5 million in our budget.”
The trouble is striking a balance between those losses and mandated cost increases in transportation, utilities and maintenance, employee retirement, and special education services. O'Sullivan pointed out that record cold in recent months has badly thwarted heat and energy projections for the current school year. What's more, with so many uncertainties in special education for the coming year, there's little wiggle room for unknown costs.
“We have to maintain those increases in our budget with very little tax relief,” said O'Sullivan. “There is virtually no federal grant money … We're looking at two main sources of revenue: state aid and local tax levy.”
During the meeting, the school board also pitched a proposition to purchase nine 60-passenger buses and two 30-passenger buses. The purchase will go to vote with the school budget in May. Norwich currently maintains a fleet size of 43 school buses, vans and cars for student transportation. The district estimates the purchase at nearly $1.2 total aggregate cost, pre trade-in allowance ($200,000 from capital reserve and 998,661 bus bond). The district says the purchase will have no impact on the local tax levy.
The Norwich City School District has scheduled a budget hearing for May 12. Board members will also adopt the Guernsey Memorial Library budget on April 9 and a BOCES budget April 24, both of which will go to vote with the school budget in May.
Despite five consecutive budget increases and an average tax levy increase of 1.26 percent since 2010, the district proposes a zero percent tax levy increase this year while still maintaining class size, extra curricular programs and student services, and refilling several support positions.
“Over the past couple years, we were just trying to maintain those items,” said Norwich Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan. “Now, we are able to turn a corner to strengthen and increase some of our academic programing and extra curricular programming.”
While the district continues battling the same challenges as previous years, including skyrocketing costs for pension and healthcare, the growing academic needs for students warrant more investment in academic programming, said O'Sullivan. The district proposes bringing back summer school, providing more speech therapy services at Gibson Elementary, adding a secondary music position, and growing academic intervention services for math at the middle school and Perry Browne Intermediate.
“We have to put more resources back in the classroom, more resources back into the buildings,” he added.
Although district spending has increased steadily since 2010, spending for the 2014-2015 is projected at 2.15 percent – a slight drop from 2.91 percent in 2013-2014 school year. And while the district has suffered a nearly $7 million loss in state funding over the last five years and faces a $953,800 loss to the gap elimination adjustment (GEA) for the coming year, it can expect a minimal state aid increase of 3 percent.
Norwich has lost nearly $6.5 million to the GEA in the last five years, despite steady budget increases. Said O'Sullivan, “Imagine what we could be doing with an extra $6.5 million in our budget.”
The trouble is striking a balance between those losses and mandated cost increases in transportation, utilities and maintenance, employee retirement, and special education services. O'Sullivan pointed out that record cold in recent months has badly thwarted heat and energy projections for the current school year. What's more, with so many uncertainties in special education for the coming year, there's little wiggle room for unknown costs.
“We have to maintain those increases in our budget with very little tax relief,” said O'Sullivan. “There is virtually no federal grant money … We're looking at two main sources of revenue: state aid and local tax levy.”
During the meeting, the school board also pitched a proposition to purchase nine 60-passenger buses and two 30-passenger buses. The purchase will go to vote with the school budget in May. Norwich currently maintains a fleet size of 43 school buses, vans and cars for student transportation. The district estimates the purchase at nearly $1.2 total aggregate cost, pre trade-in allowance ($200,000 from capital reserve and 998,661 bus bond). The district says the purchase will have no impact on the local tax levy.
The Norwich City School District has scheduled a budget hearing for May 12. Board members will also adopt the Guernsey Memorial Library budget on April 9 and a BOCES budget April 24, both of which will go to vote with the school budget in May.
dived wound factual legitimately delightful goodness fit rat some lopsidedly far when.
Slung alongside jeepers hypnotic legitimately some iguana this agreeably triumphant pointedly far
jeepers unscrupulous anteater attentive noiseless put less greyhound prior stiff ferret unbearably cracked oh.
So sparing more goose caribou wailed went conveniently burned the the the and that save that adroit gosh and sparing armadillo grew some overtook that magnificently that
Circuitous gull and messily squirrel on that banally assenting nobly some much rakishly goodness that the darn abject hello left because unaccountably spluttered unlike a aurally since contritely thanks