Board of Education adopts revised proposed $95.31 million school budget

The Minisink Valley Board of Education adopted a revised, proposed $95,314,988 school budget for the 2019-20 school year, which, if approved on June 18, would result in a 2.46 percent tax levy increase.

The revised budget going before voters later this month reduces the proposed tax levy increase from the 7.97 percent increase voted down by district residents on May 21 and reduces spending by $4,676,257, or 4.67 percent.

Despite the decrease in the total amount of money to be raised through property taxes, the proposed tax levy will remain above the district’s tax levy limit of -0.47 percent, as determined by the state’s tax cap law. As a result, the budget must be approved by a supermajority to pass – meaning, 60 percent plus one.

The revised proposed budget reflects an additional spending decrease of $2,151,478 from the initial budget turned down by voters.  The proposed additional cuts include teacher, staff and administrative positions; reductions and eliminations in non-mandated instructional and extra-curricular programs, communications services, technology, professional learning, equipment and supplies.

Revised, proposed budget cuts, reductions and eliminations in this budget:

Staffing Reductions

21 faculty positions
32.5 staff positions
2 administrator positions

Reductions

CR BOCES public information services

Technology budget

Equipment and supplies

Eliminations

Field trips

Summer school program

5 p.m. bus runs

Drama production assistant directors

Summer curriculum program

Virtual High School

High school AP/college courses

High school electives

After school detention II program

Intramural swimming program

17 sports program assistants

Office of Professional Learning

The proposed revised budget also calls for the use of more than $5.3 million of the district’s fund balance.

If the revised budget is not approved by a supermajority of voters, the Board of Education must adopt a contingent budget.

Contingent budget reductions and eliminations may include but are not limited to:

Reductions

Full-day kindergarten is reduced to half-day kindergarten

Reduction of bus driver positions due to reduced bus routes

Eliminations

K-5 enrichment programs

Mount Hope Police/Orange County Sheriff coverage

JROTC

Additional high school AP/college courses

Additional high school electives

JV sports

Modified sports

Transportation costs tied to sports

Referee/BOCES costs tied to sports

Athletic materials and supplies

5th Grade Band

School musical productions

School drama productions

High school and middle school extracurricular clubs

High school and middle school department chairperson positions

K-5 chairperson positions

Fine Arts chairperson position

Athletic trainer position

PM door greeter positions

CR BOCES public information services

The tax levy resulting from a contingent budget can be no greater than the tax levy of the prior year, meaning no tax levy increase.

Under a contingent budget, the Board of Education has discretion, in most cases, to determine what non-mandated programs and other services would be reduced, including extracurricular programs and athletics.

A newsletter providing detail will be mailed to district residents on June 12.

Residents will vote on the proposed budget on June 18 from noon to 9 p.m. at the same polling locations used for the May 21 budget vote.