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050903 District lowers proposed tax increases
By FRANK NARDOZZI
Relying on assurances that state legislative leaders have the votes to override the anticipated governor's veto of the $93-billion budget state legislators passed last week - including an additional $1.1 billion in state aid for schools - the Bedford Central school board voted to keep its $82-million budget proposal the same and lower the tax rates.
The action was taken at the board's meeting at Fox Lane Middle School on Wednesday.
With the addition of $440,000 in state aid to reduce the tax levy, Bedford's tax rate increase would drop from 9.17 to 8.53 percent; Mount Kisco's would decrease from 3.45 to 2.84 percent; Pound Ridge's would decline from 7.89 to 7.2( percent; New Castle's would drop from 9.09 to 8.45 percent; and North Castle's would decrease from 5.89 to 5.27 percent.
Governor George Pataki has until May 14 to veto the legislature's budget. If the legislators fail to override, the tax increases would revert back to the original numbers, the school board's president, Dot Fallon, said.
Bedford Central's proposed budget of $81,925,000 represents an increase in spending of $6,415,640, or 8.5 percent, more than the current school year's. The proposed budget is about $1 million less than the budget first proposed by Schools Superintendent Bruce Dennis on March 5. That budget represented an increase of $7.4 million in spending, or a 9.83 percent increase over this year.
Budget cuts adopted by the school board included seven teachers' aides, $200,000 that would have funded new computers and homework clubs at the district's five elementary schools. The budget for the Summer Academy was also cut from $257,000 to $110,000.
Costs that are going up include employee medical benefits, which are expected to rise 27 percent, or $2.1 million, and the district's contribution to the state- pension fund, which is expected to increase 1 1 percent, or $1 million.
The proposed budget will also include the district's first payment of $800,000 on the $67.8 million facilities bond issue that was approved by the voters last year.
Five teachers are being added at Fox Lane High School and three at the elementary and middle schools to meet rising enrollments.
A public hearing on the budget will be held at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20, at Fox Lane Middle School. The budget vote and school board election are scheduled for Tuesday, June 3.
"It's so hard to believe that people will understand what's going on because the average person is not paying close attention to the things happening in Albany," Mrs. Fallon said.
"But we expect that the legislators are going to he able to deliver on their promise to override the governor's clear intention to veto their spending plan."
District notifications
In the reprint of the school district's eight-page brochure on the budget, which had to be changed because of the state legislature's late action, the district plans to make clear that the tax information is based on the best information that is available at the time.
"The bottom line is that if something changes, then during the summer when the board actually approves the tax warrants, the changes that might he necessary would be made," Mrs. Fallon said.
The post cards that the state requires to go out to voters to alert them to the budget vote do not refer to tax rates. They simply reflect the budget to budget increase as compared to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
"Which is meaningless," Mrs. Fallon said. "The reason school spending goes up has much more to do with providing an educational program and nothing to do with the CPI. So, that's just a political tool that somebody developed to make it harder for school boards to pass their budgets," she said.
"The school hoard is subject to the demands of providing a quality school program at a time when state mandates are increasing and school enrollment is going up and our debt service is increasing" due to the district's expansion and renovation plans, Mrs. Fallon said.
New principal for WPES
At its meeting on Wednesday, the school board also approved the appointment of Robyn Lane to be the new principal at West Patent Elementary School beginning July 1. Mrs. Lane had been serving as "teacher in charge" since Kathleen Tuttle resigned as principal effective July 31, 2002.
The hoard's action confirms Mrs. Lane's appointment for a three-year probationary period ending June 30, 2006, at an annual salary of $112,500 for 2003-04.
Mrs. Lane received her bachelor's degree in 1975 from Drew University, her master's degree in 1992 from Fordham University and recently completed her administrative certification in the Future School Administrators Academy conducted by Columbia University Teachers College.
She holds a state School Administrator/Supervisor Certificate and permanent certification as a K-5 teacher. Mrs. Lane began working at West Patent Elementary in 1992 and has been assigned there as a teacher for the last 11 years.
School nurses
The board also recognized the 100th anniversary of the introduction of school nurses and Nurse's Recognition Day by extending its appreciation to all of the school nurses in the Bedford Central School District, including those who serve at the private schools of Rippowam Cisqua and St. Patrick's.
School nurses recognized at the meeting included:
• Sharon Collins, Bedford Hills Elementary;
• Karen Ostro, Bedford Village Elementary;
• Lee Bevacqua, Mount Kisco Elementary;
• Libby Pearl, Pound Ridge Elementary;
• Elizabeth Pezanowski, West Patent Elementary;
• Regina D'orazio, Fox Lane Middle School;
• Barbara Gerstenzang, Fox Lane High School;
• Gwynne Griffith, Rippowam Cisqua; and
• Madelyn Callahan, St. Patrick's School.