To the Editor:
I have been providing updates throughout the budget process for the 2024-25 school budget. As you recall, in January, the governor proposed a significant change to how schools should be funded, having the potential to drastically impact our programs.

We worked very hard throughout this process to help our representatives understand the impact to students if those changes were made. [“BKW superintendent lays out various paths in uncertain budget cycle,” The Altamont Enterprise, Feb. 28, 2024].

On April 20, the legislators and governor settled on a statewide budget which maintained our 2023-24 funding levels, but did not provide a minimum 3-percent increase as has been the case over the past few years.

The restoration of hold-harmless status is good news, but without the 3-percent increase, we faced a budget gap of about $212,000 (3-percent increase) on Monday when returning to the office.

When we returned to the office, we were able to finalize our 2024-25 budget and bring it to the board of education for adoption. It was a challenging process.

With program and service maintenance as our primary goal, we found ourselves to be tight due to the flat Foundation Aid and we had to choose between Bulldog Club and a late bus run, or the School Resource Officer program.

Therefore, I initially proposed a budget to the board that did not include the SRO, in order to close the remaining $82,000 gap. As the budget was presented, board members asked important questions about cost and role of the SRO, as well as considering the community perspective on the program [“BKW board adopts $26.2M budget with 5.1% tax increase, requiring supermajority to pass,” The Altamont Enterprise, April 24, 2024].

At the end of the discussion, the decision was made to include the SRO cost of $82,000 in the budget proposal for voter approval on May 21. Therefore, the adopted budget for 2024-25 is in the amount of $26,352,376.

This is a $711,310 (2.77 percent) increase over this year’s budget. The tax levy associated with this budget will be $11,632,000, rather than $11,550,00 before the SRO cost was added, resulting in the levy moving from a 4.35-percent increase to a 5.09-percent increase.

Included in this budget proposal is maintenance of all academic programs, all salary increases for employees, Bulldog Club, a late bus run, absorbed increases in BOCES [Board of Cooperative Educational Services] services and pupil services, significant added costs for special education placements, and it maintains co-curricular and athletic opportunities.

We were able to offset some of those costs by eliminating two teaching positions through attrition and eliminating a proposed administrative position, leaving the $711,000 growth from last year to this year. A budget hearing will be held on May 7 at 7 p.m., in the elementary school cafeteria.

It is important to know that the tax levy proposed in this budget proposal pierces the tax-cap calculation for 2024-25, which is 4.35 percent. This means that the budget proposal must receive a 60-percent majority plus one vote in order to pass. The $212,000, 3-percent minimum increase, would have made a significant difference in this entire process.

We appreciate the ongoing support from our community as we have revitalized our school system over the past several years. Our programs are dynamic and our students are thriving.

Yet, those in seats of power in New York state will continue to seek to shift resources away from our district and others like ours simply because we live in a rural area and have smaller enrollment than many urban and suburban districts. We must continue the legislative advocacy on this issue in order to continue to provide students with the things they need for their future. 

Dr. Timothy W. Mundell

Superintendent

Berne-Knox-Westerlo

Central School District