Scarsdale 10583

The Scarsdale School administration unveiled the proposed school budget for 2011-12, and it presents a 2.92% increase over last year’s budget with tax levy growth of 3.86%. Tax increases will be even lower in the Mamaroneck Strip, where residents are long overdue for a break from steep climbs in school taxes.

Here are the numbers:

• School Budget 2010-11:                  $134,743,938
• Proposed School Budget 2011-12:  $138,678,679
• Variance:                                         $3,934.741 or 2.92%

Out of that $3.9 million increase, $2.4 million is for mandated state retirement costs, so it is evident that little has been added this year.

However, the more interesting story is provided by a few numbers that the administrators included in the report that demonstrate how efficiently the school are run and show where Scarsdale ranks in expenses in comparison to 46 districts in Westchester and Putnam. The report also shows the adjusted gross income per pupil in the district, which may give pause to those who claim that school taxes are not affordable.

Here are the facts:

• Spending Per Pupil: Scarsdale spends $23,879 per student, which makes it 13th in spending among the 46 districts in Westchester/Putnam.
• Tax Rate: In Scarsdale the true tax rate is $13.31 and the median tax rate for Westchester/Putnam school districts is $16.43, putting Scarsdale well below that mark.
• Administrative Cost Per Pupil: Scarsdale’s administrative cost per pupil is $469, which places the district at #37 among the 46 districts.
• Adjusted Gross Income Per Pupil: According to the data, the adjusted gross income per pupil in the district is $973,116 as compared to the Westchester/Putnam median of $290,536.

While one could argue that the adjusted gross income figure could be skewed by a few extremely wealthy residents in town, it is a revealing number and should give pause to those who claim that an average salary of $123,000 for teachers is too high and argue that taxes are out of range.

Undoubtedly the debate will continue, but these figures do shed some light on how Scarsdale stacks up relative to other districts in our area.

Comments (10)

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written by Concerned Resident, February 22, 2011

Look - I HATE paying taxes. However, this is Westchester County and taxes are high here. Not just in Scarsdale but everywhere. Realistically how much do you think you are going to save by cutting teacher salaries and the school budget. Go on the Houlihan and Lawrence website and look at estimated taxes for houses in other communities in Westchester with lower teacher pay. Check out taxes in Ardsley, Edgement, Chappaqua, Larchmont, Rye Brook. The reality is that the taxes are about the same in these communities (considerably higher in Chappaqua due to more land). Even White Plains has high taxes. Want to move there and send your kids to their schools? How do you think property values there faired in the economic downturn (answer is much worse than Scarsdale).

If you really want to save money on your taxes, stop complaining and start looking at houses in CT or move to another metro area. You can have a very nice house in a great school district in Charlotte with property taxes of under $10K, but just isn't going to happen 30 minutes from NYC.

None of the advocates for limiting school budget growth has been able to quantify what it will save me (I have asked and am still waiting). Their silence speaks VOLUMES!! The answer is that limiting budget increases and curbing teacher salary increases will at best result in a slight savings for residents (hundreds of dollars per family not thousands). It will more likely result in more spending somewhere else and no savings for tax payers. Just look at the taxes in their benchmark communities of Edgement, Bronxville and Chappaqua, where taxes are JUST AS HIGH AS SCARSDALE and the answer is very clear.

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written by Site Adminstrator, February 22, 2011

The numbers and statistics shown in the article were taken from the introduction to the proposed 2011-2012 School Budget, prepared by the school administration. The article was also reviewed by Assistant Superintendant Linda Purvis. The article was written by me, Joanne Wallenstein. I attended the School Budget Study Session and reported on it.

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written by dmj, February 22, 2011

Why isn't there a by-line to the article? This is a blatantly one sided view with questionable derived statistics that I believe warrant either a by-line or at least a paragraph detailing the potential bias. I just would like to know if it is a teacher, a concerned parent, a union official or just an uninvolved third party.

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written by Say what?!, February 21, 2011

The significant difference between Ms. Cathy Black and Dr. Michael McGill is that the latter is actually an educator with years of experience in the field and a PhD. Ms. Black's qualifications, or rather notable lack thereof, do not put her in the same category as our superintendent. The New York City schools deserve a lot better.

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written by CAlvin, February 17, 2011

U can play with stats all you want but it is the long term obligations for teachers and administrators that have to be managed. Cathie Black manages NYC School System of nearly 1 mm students on a salary of $250K? Scarsdale's superintendent makes over $350K for a few thousand students with less distractions.

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written by JustTheFacts, February 16, 2011

Median household income for Scarsdale School District was $209K in 2009; average household income was $319K.
Median earnings for workers: $93K.
Median earnings for men working F/T year-round: $193K.
Median earnings for women working F/T year-round: $88K.
For about one-half of families with children, both parents are in the workforce (not necessarily F/T).

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written by Median vs. Average, February 16, 2011

Let's say there are 5000 pupils. An adjusted gross income of $1M per pupil means the total adjusted income for all the earners in the whole village is $5B. You can have a scenario where one earner makes $5B and the rest makes $0.

Take five numbers 5B, 0, 0, 0, 0. The median is the number in the middle -- 0. The average is 1B.

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written by Disappointed in Jeff Blatt, February 15, 2011

What does "adjusted income/pupil" even mean? The median income in Scarsdale is in the $200K range so this $983K number only is not reflective of reality.

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written by Not an Investment Banker, February 15, 2011

Using adjusted income/pupil is not relevant when there are individuals in the town making $100M+ year. Also, given 1,000 more households than pupils, it would more relevant to look at household income. Bottom line is that average property taxes in scarsdale are $30K per year. If allowed to increase at the historic rate, they will be 2x in 12.5 years and 3x in 20 years. Thus, 20 years from now, property taxes will average around $100K. It will take about $200K of income just to pay for these taxes. Can we assume similar wage growth in the private sector to offset this. Unlikley. As long as Scarsdale is OK with transferring the equity in their homes to the teachers, then it is no big deal. For those who are not investment bankers, I believe they will feel otherwise.

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written by George, February 15, 2011

The appropriate comparison is not between adjusted gross income for Scarsdale residents vs. Scarsdale teachers or vs. municipal employees. The more appropriate comparison is between Scarsdale teachers and teachers in other municipalities, be they in Westchester or Fairfield County, with high quality educators and comparable turnover.

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