Mt. Pleasant Board of Ed Adopts $65.4M Budget; Braces for State Cuts
The Mount Pleasant Board of Education adopted a $65.4 million budget last Wednesday that proposes a 1.44 percent tax rate increase for most district residents while school officials keep a wary eye out for potential state education cuts.
The 2020-21 budget, that carries a $1,154,000 spending increase and a 2.06 percent tax levy hike, had few personnel changes while cutting about $250,000 from the originally proposed plan in anticipation of reductions in aid. New York State is facing a more than $13 billion deficit and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has repeatedly warned that without assistance from the federal government the state will have to cut education aid, among other areas, by 20 percent.
Mount Pleasant was slated to receive $6.5 million in aid for the upcoming year.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kurtis Kotes said the proposal that will be going before the voters maintains programs and facilities but there is significant uncertainty.
“At this time, I believe that we have made the best decisions possible for program and stability,” Kotes said. “I believe this budget has versatility with some of the concerns that were brought up by the (Citizens Budget Advisory Committee), given the ability for this budget to pivot, if you will, should there be any radical changes that come either legislatively or from the state Education Department. This budget can pivot to address those changes.”
Staffing changes include an additional .5 full-time equivalent teacher and a .5 teaching assistant at Columbus Elementary School and an additional .7 special education teacher at Westlake Middle School. Also, a full-time clerical position is being vacated and will not be filled.
Other changes include the reduction of a .5 full-time equivalent teacher at Hawthorne Elementary School and the addition of .5 teaching assistant at that school.
Adding to district officials’ concerns is the likelihood of a major reduction in revenue, particularly sales tax. The adopted budget lowered sales tax revenue projections by $50,000 for next year to $650,000. It also uses $625,000 in fund balance, an increase of $175,000 over the current budget.
A 20 percent reduction of state amounting to about $1.3 million would be a blow to Mount Pleasant, Kotes said.
“Obviously, these would be devastating cuts to our school district,” he said. “We would do our best to make sure we preserved what we could of programs, but these would be significant reductions that would need to be made.”
Dana Michael, who heads the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee, said the committee came to a consensus to support the budget, believing that the administration has the time to adjust to the potential of significant revenue changes. Michael also complimented the administration for a strong budget process.
“I thought that the way it was worked through this year was very good,” he said. “You could see the numbers flowing through, the assumptions were all very clear.”
Board President Colleen Scaglione Neglia said additional uncertainty regarding expenditures is possible, with there being doubts about what a school reopening would look like and making sure children who need to catch up can do so.
Trustees said it was their intention to reschedule the $9 million athletic facilities bond to a future date after the Mar. 31 vote was called off. However, they want to see the extent of any cuts and how the district copes with reopening and the possibility that remote learning may still be used for at least part of next year.
Registered voters will be able to vote on the budget proposal and the Board of Education election after they receive the ballot in the mail, which is expected to be this week. Voters’ ballots must be received by the district clerk’s office no later than Tuesday, June 9 at 5 p.m.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/