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Frequently
Asked Questions
Budget
2009-10
During the community budget meetings and Board of Education
budget work sessions, the district has fielded a number of
questions related to all aspects of its operations and
budgeting. Answers to these "frequently asked questions" will be
posted here on an ongoing basis.
Click on a specific question to read the answer, or scroll down
to read the entire list of questions and answers.
General Questions
General Questions
How much of the budget do residents vote on?
Residents vote on the entire budget. This is a “YES” or “NO”
vote on the giving the district permission to spend the budgeted
amount in the coming fiscal year. This budget includes funding
for employee salaries, which the district is contractually bound
to pay. As with any contract, the terms of these agreements can
only be altered with the consent of both parties – the district
and its employee groups. Voting no on the budget does not change
the terms of these contracts.
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What happens if a majority of residents
vote no on the budget?
If the proposed 2009-10 budget is defeated, the district can
hold another vote and offer residents either the same or revised
budget or it can adopt a contingency budget that puts a cap on
new spending. If a budget is defeated twice, the district must
adopt a contingency budget, and there may be no more votes to
restore funding for the 2009-10 school year.
Duanesburg's proposed budget increase for 2009-10 is below this
year's contingent budget spending cap of 4 percent. However, the
state would still require that under a contingent budget, the
district could not spend money on certain equipment or supplies,
furniture or nonessential maintenance. Certain salaries would be
capped, and the administrative portion of the contingency budget
could not be greater than the administrative portion of the
previous year's budget. In addition, the district would have to
charge community groups to use school facilities.
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If residents vote no on the budget,
can the budget go up to the 4 percent contingency cap?
No. The proposed budget is below the contingency cap, and the
contingent budget would start with the proposed budget and make
further state-mandated cuts.
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How
is the district spending the federal stimulus money?
Duanesburg is able to reduce the estimated tax rate increase
and restore roughly half the amount of reductions that were
originally included in the preliminary budget proposal thanks to
the federal economic stimulus money.
State leaders applied that
money to the state budget to eliminate the deficit reduction
assessment, which Governor Paterson proposed in December. If
that had not happened, Duanesburg would have been faced with a
one-time reduction in state aid of $829,392 in addition to
already flat state aid. This would have resulted in the
elimination of district programs and services, and/or a sharp
increase in local school taxes.
Duanesburg is slated to receive $246,000 in categorical aid over
the next two year, thanks to the stimulus money. Of that,
approximately $22,000 in Title 1 funding could only be used next
year to improve basic academic programs for economically
disadvantaged students and $114,00 could only be used to fund
programs and services supported through the Individuals with
Disabilities Act (IDEA).
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How will the elimination of the middle
class STAR rebate program affect my taxes?
Because state leaders eliminated the Middle Class STAR rebate
program in the 2009-10 state budget, Duanesburg residents should
not expect to receive this state rebate check in the fall.
However, the Basic STAR and Enhanced STAR programs are still in
place. All New Yorkers who own their own homes can significantly
reduce their school taxes by taking advantage of these programs.
Call your town assessor if you have questions about these
program, about income limitations or if you wish to apply for
STAR.
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How are residents involved as the budget
is developed?
District officials and the Board of Education brought the
2009-10 budget development process to the community in February
during a series of public budget group meetings where community
input was received on a draft budget proposal. Community members
continued to provide their feedback as district officials
crafted the 2009-10 budget during a series of budget work
sessions that were open to the public. Feedback was also
provided through e-mail, phone and the
Eagle's Nest.
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How can I receive information about the
budget?
Up-to-date news and information related to the
2009-10 budget development process is always available on
the district Web site, www.duanesburg.org. Residents are also
urged to sign up for
School News Notifier, which is a free e-mail news and alert
system that sends information straight to your inbox. District
residents should also expect to receive budget communications
through our annual budget newsletter. If there is information
you need, but you have not seen it on our Web site or in our
newsletter, please call the district office at 895-2279.
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What programs are mandated by the
state?
The overwhelming majority of the district’s budget goes toward
meeting state and federal mandates and requirements—everything
from areas of study to building climate issues to transportation
regulations. Elementary school mandates include instruction in
math, science, technology, English language arts, social
studies, health, physical education, art, music, and library in
addition to specific topics as varied as state history and fire
prevention. Middle School students are required, among other
mandates, to have a certain amount of units of study for
English, social studies, math, technology, science, physical
education, home and career skills, the arts, library skills, and
second language. At the high school level, the academic mandates differ
depending on which diploma a student is pursuing.
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What has the district done to
control spending, maximize costs, maximize efficiency and
increase cost effectiveness?
The district is constantly exploring ways to reduce costs and
improve efficiency when delivering programs and services.
Cost-saving initiatives include:
- Partnering with local
school districts. This year, the district began sharing a
director of physical education with the Schoharie Central
School District to fulfill a state mandate for this
position.
- Pursuing alternative
funding sources. For example, a new FitKid Circuit Station
playground was built at the elementary school completely
funded by grants and donations from local businesses and
community groups with no impact on taxpayers.
- Participating in several
consortia. The purchase of health insurance, workers’
compensation insurance, municipal energy and other
consumable products with other districts provides
considerable savings by leveraging the power of several
buyers.
- Taking advantage of
technology. The use of sophisticated routing software
identifies the most efficient bus routes to help save on
gas, mileage and other transportation costs.
- Partnering with state
organizations. To identify areas for improvement and
cost-efficiency, the district has partnered with the New
York State School Boards Association to audit special
education policies and procedures. Similarly, the district
is tapping the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority to improve energy conservation.
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Since
the school district and the teachers union have not agreed to a
new contract, are there hard options being considered to reduce
costs?
Both the teachers union and district administrators/school board
are working together to move our schools forward, provide
resources that will support continued academic excellence while
also recognizing the real complexities of the current economic
crisis.
Various options are currently being explored that would reduce
labor costs for the district while providing fair and viable
option for the faculty.
Any changes to the existing contract cannot be implemented
without union negotiations because of state laws, specifically
the Public Employees Fair Employment Act, more commonly known as
the Taylor Law.
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Why does the school budget always
seem to go up more than the rate of inflation?
The rate of inflation is not a fair measure for schools, since
the Consumer Price Index is based on the rising cost of food,
clothing, cars, and housing - not on the rising costs associated
with school budgets such as health insurance, liability
insurance, and retirement fund contributions.
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Why
doesn't the school district just freeze or reduce staff salaries
to cut its costs for 2009-10?
While the district has the ability to cut positions to reduce
its costs, it does not have the ability to unilaterally change
the salaries of staff covered by a negotiated agreement. The
district has negotiated agreements with its unions. These
agreements are legally binding contracts that spell out staff
members' terms of employment, including salaries. And, even
though the district is in contract negotiations with its
teachers union, the district is still bound by state law to
honor the existing contract.
Here's an analogy. Say you want to cut your household expenses,
and you decide that your monthly cell phone bill, car payment
and mortgage payment are too high. Chances are that you signed
an agreement—a contract—with these companies describing how much
you would pay each month for your cell phone, car or home.
You cannot simply decide to start sending these companies
smaller monthly checks. What you can do is contact these
companies and ask if they are willing to renegotiate your
contract. But if they say no, you must continue to pay what you
promised until your contract with them expires. Similarly, the
district cannot unilaterally start paying its staff members a
different salary from what is spelled out in their contract.
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Why is
the percentage increase for the total budget sometimes different
than the increase in the tax rate?
The increase in total budget only looks at expenses. Tax rate is
a function not only of expenses but revenues and property
assessment growth, as well. If expenses rise but revenues remain
constant or decrease, the tax rate increase will be higher than
the budget increase. Conversely, if revenues or property
assessments rise, the tax rate increase may be lower than the
budget increase.
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Does the district pursue grants to fund
programs and activities?
The district receives several federal grants, such as the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Sections 611
& 619 for special education and preschool education; Title I to
improve academic achievement by supplementing educational
activities; Title IIA for class size reduction; Title IID for
educational technology and Title IV for safe and drug free
schools and communities. Additionally, many teachers apply for
and receive grants on their own, such as through the Schenectady
County Initiative Program, Tobacco Free Schools, Autism Society
and WalMart to name a few.
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How does the district ensure it is getting
the best price for the products it purchases?
The district ensures it gets the best prices for the products
and services it purchases by conducting bids, utilizing
competitive quotes, and purchasing through cooperative
arrangements with BOCES or New York State. By law, school
districts are required to competitively purchase goods and
services. Annually, the district conducts formal bids for the
purchase of items such as instructional and office supplies,
musical instruments, and filters for the heating system. In
addition, the district routinely seeks competitive proposals for
various services such as auditing, student accident insurance,
and legal services.
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This page is
maintained by
Audrey Hendricks,
communications specialist, according to the Web publishing
guidelines of Duanesburg Central Schools, 133 School Drive,
Duanesburg, NY 12053. Maintained in cooperation with the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service. The district is not responsible for facts or opinions contained on any linked site. Copyright © 2004-08. All rights reserved.
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