By:Jennifer Marino
Covert PTA vice president Shereen Allen and Wilson PTA vice president Wendy Spelfogel thanked the board for reconsidering the two programs that had been on the chopping block. The audience applauded Allen and Spelfogel to show its appreciation for their hard work. Spelfogel said she had come prepared with a petition and a letter from parents in order to lobby for foreign language and third-grade strings but was glad neither was necessary.
According to Assistant Superintendent Robert Bartels, there was some new information as well as reductions in expenses since the budget brochure went out. BOCES administration fees went down by $20,000, all of the building budgets went down by more than the requested 10 percent, saving an extra $35,000, and the health insurance premium increase will probably be closer to 13 percent than the 16 percent figure used to determine the original budget, a savings of about $80,000. Even with $28,000 put back in the budget for staffing, the budget has $107,000 worth of wiggle room.
The third-grade strings and foreign language programs will cost about $70,000 each, so they will add a net $33,000 to the budget. The budget-to-budget increase is now about 7.3 percent, and the increase to the tax levy is about 8.96 percent.
Johnson said that he and his staff work on the budget every day and saw the opportunity to make the changes when the new numbers came in. Board of Education President Marcia Hirsch said that the board felt an obligation to honor its promise to the community not to touch the music and performing arts program until the new director was in place to offer input.
Hirsch added that a committee would be put in place to look at the music program and offer suggestions on ways to improve it. She said that she wants the committee to present a report at a board meeting in January so that there are no surprises come budget time.
