May, 5, 2009 – Duanesburg Central School District residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 19, to vote on a $14,864,913 proposed budget for the 2009-10 school year. Voters will also elect three candidates to the Board of Education and decide on a $301,698 bus proposition.
 
Polls will be open from 1 to 9 p.m. at Duanesburg Elementary School. If you are unable to vote in person, download an absentee ballot application.

Budget carries lowest estimated tax rate increase in a decade
Next year’s proposed budget represents a spending increase of $43,416—or 0.29 percent—over the current year’s budget. If approved by voters, the estimated tax rate increase would be 1.67 percent for property owners in the Town of Duanesburg—the lowest increase in 10 years.

The 0.29 percent spending increase is well below the spending “cap” of 4 percent established by the state for a contingency budget. Despite this, under a contingency budget the district would be required to make $34,602 in additional cuts for non-contingent expenses, such as student supplies, certain equipment purchases and certain salary increases, and community use of buildings and grounds.

New York State budget decisions impact district’s proposed budget
In early April, the New York State Legislature passed the state budget, approving the use of federal stabilization monies to eliminate the deficit reduction assessment (DRA), which was included in the governor’s executive budget proposal in December. For Duanesburg, this restored $523,038 in revenues.

Thanks to the elimination of the DRA, the district was able to further reduce the estimated tax rate increase and restore roughly half the amount of reductions that were originally included in the preliminary budget proposal, which was presented to community members and the Board of Education in March.

“We are using the federal funding as it was intended—to save jobs that were proposed to be cut during the budget development process,” said Business Administrator Brenda Kane. “It has also allowed us to reduce the estimated tax rate increase from 3.98 to 1.67 percent.”

Despite making $258,000 in cuts—primarily due to greater efficiencies in course scheduling and by reducing spending for equipment, supplies and maintenance—the budget is still increasing by 0.29 percent. This is due to inflationary cost increases associated with running the district’s operations and services, investments in technology upgrades and $100,000 in spending for necessary renovations that would free up classroom space. The renovation work would be completed using monies remaining from the district’s 2005 and 2007 capital bond projects, and would not affect the tax levy or tax rate increase.
 
Categorical aid provides additional funding
Duanesburg is also slated to receive an estimated $246,000 in categorical aid over the next two years from the federal stimulus package. Of that, approximately $22,000 in Title I funding could only be used next year to improve basic academic programs for economically disadvantaged students and $114,000 could only be used to fund programs and services supported through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Planning for the future
Although the federal stimulus package provides welcome relief for the 2009-10 budget, it offers little help for the long-term financial challenges school districts face. The state budget freezes foundation aid at the 2008-09 level over the next two years—leaving school districts and taxpayers to absorb inflationary increases.

“The freeze in foundation aid creates a significant budget gap, which is why we must conservatively plan for the future,” said Kane.

Visit the budget section to learn more.

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