NCSD holds budget hearing with vote a week away
NORWICH – Norwich City School District Superintendent Gerard O'Sullivan presented the district's proposed $42,190,905 budget for the 2018-19 school year at a public hearing on Monday night, with a handful of community members, school employees, and school board candidates in attendance.
O'Sullivan said the proposed budget is a zero percent increase in spending from the enacted 2017-18 budget, and it includes a 2.59 percent tax levy increase. If approved, the tax levy would be an $84 increase on homes assessed at $100,000 in the city of Norwich, and $99 on homes in the town.
O'Sullivan noted the tax levy average over the last five years has been about 1.2 percent increase a year, and said, "A five-year average of 1.2 percent, is, I think, reasonable."
Breaking down the district's revenue sources, O'Sullivan said about 69 percent of the school's funding comes from state aid, about 26 percent comes from revenues through the tax levy, and the other roughly 5 percent comes from miscellaneous sources.
"We're heavily dependent on state aid, so, when the state budget goes, so does Norwich," said O'Sullivan.
O'Sullivan broke down the district's spending into 10 categories: operations and maintenance, transportation, debt service, co-curricular activities, interscholastic sports, special education, regular education, benefits, professional development, and BOCES support services.
After noting the budget includes $5,161,145 for special education – about a $33,331 increase from the 2017-18 budget – O'Sullivan said, "That's the wild card. We think we have enough money in that budget item to cover it, but you never know when you're going to get a high needs family walking into the front door. We have no control over that population, and again, if a high needs family walks in with an IEP [Individualized Education Program], we're mandated to cover it."
As a cost saving measure, O'Sullivan said the district is running as many extracurricular activities as it can through the Broome-Tioga BOCES. He said this serves as a means of tying the activities into state learning standards and generating BOCES aid.
O'Sullivan also noted the district will be switching health care providers from its current provider, NY-22, back to its former provider, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, after NY-22 hiked its rates. He said that with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the district has established its rates for the next three years.
Following the budget presentation the lone commenter from the audience commended the district on its wide selection of electives for students.
Detailed copies of the NCSD 2018-19 budget are available in the district office on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The budget vote and school board elections will be held on Tuesday, May 15 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The voting site for Norwich City School District residents in the city and town of Norwich, North Norwich, Guilford, New Berlin and Oxford will be at St. Bartholomew’s Parish Center; district residents in Plymouth and Smyrna can vote at the Plymouth Firehose, and district residents in Preston, Pharsalia, and McDonough can vote at the Preston Firehouse.
O'Sullivan said the proposed budget is a zero percent increase in spending from the enacted 2017-18 budget, and it includes a 2.59 percent tax levy increase. If approved, the tax levy would be an $84 increase on homes assessed at $100,000 in the city of Norwich, and $99 on homes in the town.
O'Sullivan noted the tax levy average over the last five years has been about 1.2 percent increase a year, and said, "A five-year average of 1.2 percent, is, I think, reasonable."
Breaking down the district's revenue sources, O'Sullivan said about 69 percent of the school's funding comes from state aid, about 26 percent comes from revenues through the tax levy, and the other roughly 5 percent comes from miscellaneous sources.
"We're heavily dependent on state aid, so, when the state budget goes, so does Norwich," said O'Sullivan.
O'Sullivan broke down the district's spending into 10 categories: operations and maintenance, transportation, debt service, co-curricular activities, interscholastic sports, special education, regular education, benefits, professional development, and BOCES support services.
After noting the budget includes $5,161,145 for special education – about a $33,331 increase from the 2017-18 budget – O'Sullivan said, "That's the wild card. We think we have enough money in that budget item to cover it, but you never know when you're going to get a high needs family walking into the front door. We have no control over that population, and again, if a high needs family walks in with an IEP [Individualized Education Program], we're mandated to cover it."
As a cost saving measure, O'Sullivan said the district is running as many extracurricular activities as it can through the Broome-Tioga BOCES. He said this serves as a means of tying the activities into state learning standards and generating BOCES aid.
O'Sullivan also noted the district will be switching health care providers from its current provider, NY-22, back to its former provider, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, after NY-22 hiked its rates. He said that with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the district has established its rates for the next three years.
Following the budget presentation the lone commenter from the audience commended the district on its wide selection of electives for students.
Detailed copies of the NCSD 2018-19 budget are available in the district office on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The budget vote and school board elections will be held on Tuesday, May 15 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The voting site for Norwich City School District residents in the city and town of Norwich, North Norwich, Guilford, New Berlin and Oxford will be at St. Bartholomew’s Parish Center; district residents in Plymouth and Smyrna can vote at the Plymouth Firehose, and district residents in Preston, Pharsalia, and McDonough can vote at the Preston Firehouse.
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