By ABBY LU BY

The Bedford Central School District wants to reduce spending for next year's budget. At Wednesday night's board meeting, the recommendations made by the board's finance committee showed a total of $582,071 in new budget cuts and revisions.

Next Wednesday, April 6, the board will adopt a final budget to present to voters in May.

The original budget proposed by the administration was $96,576,096, or an 8.05 percent budget-to-budget

increase. With recommended cuts, the revised budget is $95,994,025, or a 7.40 percent budget-to-budget increase.

Some of this money will be replaced by funds in the district's debt service fund, while other reductions come in salary cuts and drug counseling services, among other items.

Assistant superintendent for business and administrative services Mark Betz said that the district earned more interest and $200,000

of that interest could offset current debt. "We can keep that money in our debt service fund, which will lower our budget-to-budget increase," he said.

According to Mr. Betz, the debt service fund is the principal and interest on bonds that the district has borrowed for past construction projects. "It's like the school's mortgage," he said. "When we do major capital projects, we get voter approval to borrow money to do a project and then we pay it back over time."

The district's fund balance are revenues that exceed expenses for this current fiscal year, 2004-05. After the meeting, Mr. Betz said that "$250,000 has been in the system and has already been paid for by the taxpayers. It is money that voters have approved to cover a budget, and we didn't need it. We can either give it back to them or we can ask them for permission to use it for other needs. We are asking for money that we already have from the taxpayers; we're not asking for it again."

In the proposed budget, $250,000 was allotted for furniture and equipment for the renovated buildings and newly constructed buildings, like the high school. The board was advised to take that money out of the fund balance rather than keep it as part of the proposed budget. Voters need to give the board permission to spend the $250,000 from the fund balance in a second proposition on the budget vote. Mr. Betz said furniture and equipment has to be planned for and ordered years in advance.

Also, an additional $50,000 is being shaved off the surplus to reduce the tax rate increase.

Due to a retirement announcement by a teacher after the first budget was released, the district will save another $50,000. "This announcement was just made since the last time we met," said Mr. Betz.

Another $38,000 can be saved on special student services, like drug counseling, at Fox Lane High School. These services have been provided by professionals outside the district. "We think we can handle those services inhouse and reduce that cost," said Mr. Betz. "In discussing that with the staff, we can build a program ourselves because we have the resources in the region and at the high school. We will still provide students with those services and probably add some staff training."

A budget line correction was made for Civil Service Employees Union dental rates. The correction added $28,119 to the budget. The administrative fee to the Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) was also reduced, saving the district $15,952.

Past capital projects that were overbudgeted and had funds left unspent would add $89,000, which the board could use to reduce taxes by adding it to the fund balance or depositing it in a reserve fund, said Mr. Betz, who added that "capital projects are different from bond projects." Capital projects are taken from the district's general fund, and bond projects are voted upon.

After talking to the assessor in Mount Kisco, Mr. Betz said he expects there to he a significantly large reduction on next year's assessed values on property in Mount Kisco.

"It will be a little over $2 million reduction in assessments," he said. "That reduction is reflected in the total taxes for next year, which will raise taxes somewhat."

The estimated tax rate changes for the 2005-06 revised proposed budget are 5.83 percent in Bedford, 11.99 percent in Mount Kisco, 7.36 percent in Pound Ridge, 6.07 percent in New Castle, and 25.98 percent in North Castle.

Other cuts discussed were purchasing three, not four, school buses to save the district about $45,000 and modifying the summer academy program.

"We would cut the summer program for elementary students transitioning to the middle school and only have a program for the high school, which would save us about $6600," said Mr. Betz. Programs that were threatened to be cut back last year like ACES and the Challenge program are being fully funded in the 2005-6 budget.

Next week's board meeting is on April 6. Superintendent Debra Jackson will summarize the 2005-06 proposed final budget, and the board will adopt a 2005-06 budget and any other propositions that will go before the voters. The annual budget vote and school board election is on May 17.