By Nicole Falco
The Central High School District Board of Education voted to adopt the superintendent's budget proposal for the 2005-06 school year at its March 8 meeting. The $81.8 million proposal reflects an increase of 7.71 percent, or $5.85 million. The public vote is set for May 17. The proposed budget maintains the district's current programs and includes some new initiatives, such as the addition of administrators at the building and district levels, the purchase of additional laptop computers for each school and the introduction of a handful of new electives.
Last year, District 13 homeowners saw the high school portion of their tax bills increase by an average of $442. This year, the average homeowner will see a decrease of $48.62, or 1.48 percent, according to Al Chase, assistant superintendent for finance and operations. The estimated tax rate is $183.91 per $100 of assessed value. The average home in District 13 is assessed at $1,765.
In District 24, the average homeowner can expect an increase of $146.46, or 7.69 percent, in the high school portion of the tax bill. Last year the average increase was $340. The estimated tax rate for the district is $128.24 per $100 of assessed value, and the average home is assessed at $1,600.
In District 30, the average homeowner will see an increase of $249.99, or 13.48 percent, on the high school portion of the tax bill. Last year the average increase was $238. The estimated tax rate for next year is $130 per $100 of assessed value, and the average home is assessed at $1,608.
Tax rates for each district vary, because each one is responsible for a different percentage of the high school tax bill. Because the county has once again changed the way it determines assessed value - making it .5 percent of a home's market value, down from 1 percent - the percentage each district is responsible for has changed. District 13's proportion of the tax bill dropped from 48 to 45.6 percent, while District 30's increased from 29 to 32 percent, Chase said. District 24's proportion remained basically unchanged. Commercial properties were not affected by the latest reassessment. The county, not the district, determines the percentage each elementary district is responsible for.
"If [the county] had made the change in all four classes [of property], each district's responsibility would have essentially remained the same," Chase said. "The fact that [the county] only changed part of the equation basically affects only one school district."
What's new for next year?
Once again, much of the $5.85 million proposed budget-to-budget increase is being driven by mandated costs, including contractual salary increases and increases in health insurance costs and retirement fund contributions. Increases in health insurance and retirement costs account for more than $1.8 million of the increase, Chase said. Also, the amount of state aid to the high school being proposed by the governor is virtually unchanged. The governor has proposed a $180,000 increase in state aid to the district.
The proposed budget does call for the introduction of new course offerings, program expansions, capital improvements and new hires at the building and district levels. It calls for the allocation of $280,000 - a $70,000 increase over the current budget - to purchase 32 additional laptops for North and South high schools and Memorial Junior High, and 48 laptops for Central High School. There would then be 64 units in each building.
"We feel that the purchase will help integrate computers better in the curriculum," Chase said. "[And] our schools are pretty much fully occupied in terms of room usage. So not having to dedicate another room solely as a computer lab is very helpful."
Approximately $500,000 has been allocated for capital improvements districtwide, up from the $314,000 in the current budget. Proposed improvements include ceiling replacements at each school, auditorium improvements at Central, an upgrade of the two-way communication system at North, painting the gymnasiums at North and South, and purchasing stage curtains for South's cafetorium.
The proposal also calls for adding a dean of discipline to each building's administrative team to handle attendance and disciplinary matters. The net cost to the district for the four deans would be $180,000, Chase said. "Our administrative team is thinner than that of many other high school districts," he said. "Right now each building has a principal and two assistants. We feel that there is a need, given the fact that the district has grown so much over the past decade."
The budget proposal also calls for the hiring of a district director of instruction, at a cost of $115,000. The director would work closely with the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. And an additional social worker, who would split time between Central and Memorial, is included in the proposal, at a cost of $60,000. Currently, there is one social worker at each of the four schools.
"We are very much focused on raising our math and English scores as well as raising our Regents diploma rate, and we feel that [the district director] position will be vital in doing so," Chase said.
After examining its textbook inventory, the district hopes to purchase new books for some of its courses, including seventh- and eighth-grade math books, science, social studies and English. The district plans to allocate approximately $420,000 for new textbooks, a total that includes $100,000 left over from last year's budget and actually reflects only a $10,000 increase.
The district plans to introduce four new courses - Advanced Placement Italian, ethics, college strategies and forensics - that will have a minimal effect on the budget. "If our electives are not current, kids will not take them, so why offer them?" said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marc Bernstein during the March 1 budget work session.
Bernstein also explained that the district plans to expand its seventh-grade writing program to eighth grade. In addition to their regular English classes, eighth-graders will have an additional 2 1/2 periods dedicated to writing. The Junior Great Books program will also be expanded to include the eighth grade. And seventh-graders will be spending more time in math class - 7 1/2 periods each week.
"This is very much consistent with the goals of the school board in terms of a revitalized seventh- and eighth-grade middle school program that we've been talking about over the past two years," Bernstein said.
The district also reviewed its SAT prep course, a half-year elective offered to juniors and seniors. Students who took the PSAT, then took the prep course before taking the SAT, showed an average increase of 90 points.
The possibility of installing air conditioning in Central High's Keller Auditorium at some point was also discussed. The project could be done using money left over in the district's fund balance, but a proposition would have to be put to a public vote before a plan could be put into action.
How to determine what you'll pay:
Up until 2003, the county based assessed value on 1938 construction costs, with 1964 land values added in. Two years ago the county set assessed value at 1 percent of a home's market value. A house worth $400,000 has an assessed value of $4,000.
This year, the county has again changed the way it determines assessed value, making it .5 percent of a home's market value. A house worth $400,000 has an assessed value of $2,000.
To determine what you'll pay in taxes, multiply the tax rate (supplied by your school district) by your home's assessed value and divide by 100.
Comments about this story? NFalco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 208.
