Scarsdale Schools Budget Vote Looms
You've talked about it, read about it and now it's time to vote on it. On Tuesday May 17, Scarsdale will hold a vote on the school budget. The proposed $138 million budget keeps budget growth at 2.75%, two-thirds due to state mandated retirement costs. This year's budget protects the core curriculum, initiatives in critical thinking and begins Mandarin in the high school. The budget also allows for class sizes to remain the same in the elementary schools and for a second school nurse at the Scarsdale Middle School.
The budget reduces most non-salary costs by 10 percent across the board and makes major cuts in facilities' maintenance and minimal salary increases.
School Board President, Jill Spieler says that the Board has tried to balance the current financial challenges in a difficult financial environment.
Scarsdale has a strong record on passing school budgets. The last time a budget faced an initial defeat according to the school district was in 1970. That budget finally passed after a third vote.
If this current budget is voted down, the Board explains that the community may vote on a defeated budget a second time, with or without revision as determined by the Board. If it fails a second time, the Board must adopt a so-called "contingent" budget, which is subject to a state-imposed budget cap.
There are also state-imposed restrictions on how money can be spent.
For 2011-12, the contingent budget cap is 1.92 per cent. This would require a $1.74 million budget reduction, resulting in job layoffs, and extensive, lasting harm to education. Among the areas that would be affected are interscholastic athletics, transportation beyond state minimum distances, and community services spending; things to strongly consider when at the voting booth.
Two new school board nominees; Jonathan Lewis and Sunil Subbakrishna will also be on Tuesday's ballot.
Voting is open Tuesday the 17th of May from 7am to 9pm at the Scarsdale Middle School and everyone is encouraged to participate.
Jen is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.
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written by Jen G. , May 15, 2011
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written by Reality Check, May 14, 2011
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written by Site Administrator, May 14, 2011
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written by Gary, May 13, 2011
"The proposed $138 million budget keeps budget growth at 2.75%, two-thirds due to state mandated retirement costs."
Does that mean that 2/3 of the 2.75% increase was unavoidable due to the state mandates, so less than 1% was, I guess "discretionary" would be the word?
Just curious, as I'm a former Scarsdale resident who put 3 girls through the wonderful school system.
Really enjoy your writing, Jen!
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I am voting "NO" -- our community can a lot do better.
The fact is that many members of our community can ill afford a 4.81% tax increase -- the unemployment rate is 9%, and that does not include discouraged workers who would almost double that figure if they re-entered the labor force. WE ALL KNOW NEIGHBORS WHO ARE OUT OF WORK and the last thing we want to do is raise their taxes in the middle of this endless recession. And even among the employed and retired there are many of less modest means than indicated by Scarsdale's median income of $219,000 (by definition, half our population earns less) who are already at the precipice of forced resettlement to more welcoming communities.
Introducing Mandarin and hiring a paid employee to teach that language will not improve the quality of our children's education sufficiently to justify the cost in dollars of maintaining that position after the federal subsidy is exhausted nor to justify the cost in lost credibility of our elected officials who obviously care little for the most vulnerable and hard-pressed of our citizens. My own sense is that if the School Board elected to introduce this frivolous expenditure there are likely many others that could be eliminated with no cost to the academic and athletic quality of our schools.
Let's send this budget back to the School Board for a do-over. At a minimum, let's eliminate the new Mandarin teaching position to give some indication that the School Board cares a whit about fiscal responsibility.