$53M school budget goes to voters

PHOTOGRAPHER: Jessica Harding

The Greater Amsterdam’s School District’s budget proposal is not expected to change before going to voters, following a public hearing Wednesday at which no one took the opportunity to comment on the proposed spending plan.

The $53 million budget proposal, which would increase spending by 6.52 percent, calls for no overall tax increase. The district was able to hold the line on taxes in the proposal by using $1.78 million in surplus money and a $3.5 million increase in state aid.

District residents will have an opportunity to vote on the proposed budget May 20. The ballot will also includes two propositions: one to purchase two, 30-passenger school buses and two 66-passenger school buses for no more than $350,000; and another to allow for the sale of school district property on Wallins Corners Road for $200,000.

Residents will also elect three new members to the school board. Five newcomers are running: Sean Piasecki, Sheree Patterson, Michael Parillo, Patrick Krohn and Sandra Cordova.

Most district residents would see a decrease in tax rates through the proposed budget. Only residents in Charlton and Perth would see a slight increase in tax rates.

City residents would see a decrease in taxes by about a penny to $24.91 per $1,000 of assessed value; town of Amsterdam residents would see a decrease of $6.37 to $178.34 per $1,000 of assessed value; and Florida residents would see a decrease of $1.51 to $29.36 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The district’s spending plan includes $1 million in state Contract for Excellence money, which the district is mandated to use to create new programs. Those new programs include extended after-school tutoring, a new magnet program at Barkley Elementary School and new staff members.

The state is expected to approve the district’s plans for new programs on May 27.

School board members said they couldn’t see why the budget should be defeated this year.

“The budget addresses the concerns of the residents, provides new programs and doesn’t increase taxes,” board Vice President Gina DeRossi said.

For the past three years, voters have rejected the district’s proposed spending plan. The district’s school board subsequently adopted contingency budgets.

Should that happen this year, Roger Seward, the district’s business manager, said the budget would be cut by $930,571. Seward said the state mandates which programs are allowed to be cut. Mostly sports and extracurricular activities are the first to go, he said.

DeRossi said she thinks voters rejected previous budgets because they contained some sort of tax increase.

“This year we were granted more leeway with our state aid and we were able to allow for no tax increase, so I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t pass,” she said.