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Ask the Superintendent -
May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, marked the annual district
election and school budget vote for all school
districts across New York State. Goshen residents
went to the polls and approved two propositions. The
first allows the Transportation Department to
purchase a number of school buses in order to
replace aging vehicles; the second permits the
district to make a number of necessary Capital
Improvements throughout our buildings.
Voters returned Steve Esposito to his seat on the
Board of Education and elected Loretta Richner to
fill the seat of Alvin Watson, who is retiring after
serving nine years on the Board.
The proposed budget was rejected by five votes.
Legally, the Board of Education has three options
when a proposed budget is rejected, and on Tuesday,
May 27, the Board members will decide which of those
three options they will adopt:
1. Place the
same budget up for a re-vote;
2. Present a revised budget for vote;
3. Adopt a contingency budget (without another
vote).
If the board
decides to go to another vote – whether it is the
same budget or a revised budget – that vote will be
held on June 17. By law, the district must follow
the same procedure it did for the May 20 vote,
including:
• Adoption of a
budget;
• Appropriate Legal Notices;
• Public Hearing;
• Budget Document for review;
• Absentee Ballots;
• Vote on June 17.
The district has
the option of placing the same budget up for a
re-vote. It also has the option of placing a revised
budget up for a vote. District administrators have
been looking for ways to reduce the budget, but it
is inevitable that staffing, educational programs
and extra-curricular activities will be impacted.
Their findings will be presented to the Board of
Education on May 27.
Adopting a contingency budget is the third option.
State law mandates that under a contingency budget,
a school district may not increase spending by more
than 120 percent of the Consumer Price Index or four
percent, whichever is less. For Goshen, a
contingency budget would cut approximately $1.39
million from the original proposed budget. There are
also a number of restrictions and limitations in the
areas where money could be spent.
All three options will be carefully weighed and
reviewed during the Board of Education meeting on
May 27 and a decision will be made as to which
avenue to pursue. Because the deadline for this
article was before the Board of Education
discussion, I do not know any definite decisions at
this time. Thus, in next week’s column, I will be
able to share more details about the decision the
Board of Education members make at the meeting on
May 27th.
Roy Reese
Superintendent of Schools |
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