#SouthColonieCentralSchoolDistrict #SchoolBudget #Increase #JimFranco #SpotlightNews
COLONIE — The South Colonie Board of Education will put forth a $102.2 million budget on Tuesday, May 15 that will increase spending by 2.75 percent and taxes by 2.95 percent.
The increase is below the state imposed tax cap of 3.23 percent.
The district estimates a Colonie property owner with a home worth $200,000 will see a tax increase of $8.70 per month. The owner of a home worth $175,000 will see a $7.61 increase per month and the owner of a home worth $225,000 will see a $9.78 increase.
Guilderland residents living in the South Colonie School District will see their tax rate go from $23.39 per $1,000 of assessed value to $24.08. Those living in Niskayuna will see their tax rate go from $17.68 to $18.20 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Some 79.3 percent of the budget – $81 million, up from $78.5 million – is earmarked for instructional programs, which include salaries and benefits for teachers and staff, textbooks and equipment, co-curricular activities, athletics and transportation.
About 9.6 percent of the budget – $9.8 million, up from $9.4 million – is for administrative costs which include administrators, supervisors, staff, public information, tax collections and some legal costs.
The remaining 11.2 percent of the budget – $11.4 million, down from $11.5 million – is earmarked for building and grounds and that includes maintenance staff, debt service on buildings, school bus purchases, insurance and utilities.
The district plans to spend about $2.8 million more than last year. The largest increases are $1.2 million more for employee benefits to $27.7 million, $969,000 for special education to $12.9 million and $515,000 for regular instruction to $34.3 million. The largest decreases are $201,000 for operations and maintenance to $5.3 million and $108,000 less for pupil services to $2.5 million.
“We’d like the levy to be a little bit lower, but we are always working on state aid numbers and we have initiatives we have to fund,” said Superintendent Jonathan Buhner. “State aid wasn’t where we wanted it to be but we made it work so we are below the tax cap.”
Among other things, the budget will, according to the district:
•Add five sections to the Summer Literacy Program
•Add 2.5 special education teachers
•Add one school psychologist
•Add 1.8 math teachers
•Add 1.6 social studies teachers
•Add one English as a New Language teacher
•Continue the installation of security cameras
“We are pretty lean in non-instructional areas and 80 percent of our budget is spent on instructional programs,” Buhner said.
The two special ed teachers, Buhner said, are part of a co-teaching model that has special needs students in core instruction and regular core classes with an additional teacher on hand to help out if the need arises.
“We are moving our special education program to one or more inclusion,” Buhner said. “We want those kids to have access to core curriculum classes and regents classes. There are certain models that work and the additional staff members in the rooms help those kids stay on pace with the other kids.”
The additional school psychologist is, in large part, due to recent school shootings. There is money in the budget allocated to beef up security at schools including security cameras, but it is widely believed the mental health of school shooters is a factor and many gave indications of doing something drastic that could have been picked up is someone was paying attention.
“We are hardening the buildings, so to speak, and we have good drills and we work with Colonie Police Department and the School Resource Officers and we did tighten up a few things on that end of security,” Buhner said. “But the other part of that is taking care of our kids and their families.”
Bus Proposition
On Tuesday, May 15, voters will also ask to decide on whether or not to purchase 10 buses at a cost not to exceed $1 million.
The proposition calls for purchasing six, 66-passenger buses, one 24-passenger wheelchair bus, one 16-passenger bus and one six-passenger bus.
According to the district, after state aid, the cost to district taxpayers would be about $123,000, or less than .05 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
School Board
Two school board members have opted to not run for re-election – Christine Badger Mele and Shelle Jaquish – and two newcomers are running unopposed for the seats.
Stephanie Cogan has served as an officer on the Shaker Road Elementary and Colonie High Parent Teacher Associations as well as holding many stakeholder positions in the district. She is president of the South Colonie girls lacrosse Booster Club.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from Penn State and served as a federal commissioned bank examiner for nine years. She has also been self-employed for 16 years in the management of professional associations.
She and her husband have three children.
Colleen Gizzi has been actively involved with the girls youth hockey.
She is the former owner of Copies by Colleen, a commercial copier for medical and business records and since 2005 has worked as an administrative assistant at Cool Insuring Agency.
And she has been a volunteer at Animal Lovers in Albany for many years.
She and her husband have one daughter and two grandchildren.
Polls are open on Tuesday, May 15, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the district’s five elementary schools.