White Plains CitizeNetReporter - BOE Passes $134.7 Million Budget, Up 6.1%, 7.3% Tax Increase on State Promises

WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. April 1, 2003: The White Plains Board of Education adopted the proposed 2003-2004 City School District Budget Monday evening, “plugging in” an eleventh hour $600,000 cut in anticipation of the state legislature adopting either a Governor Pataki proposal or Comptroller Allan Havesi’s plan to ease the district share of New York State Retirement fund contributions.

The adopted budget plans an expenditure of $134,632,632 to run the city schools next year. The new budget locks in the year-to-year increase at 6.1% and eases the anticipated increase in school taxes for city residents to 7.3%, or about $358 more for an owner of a home with an accessed value of $15,000. Under the previous budget of $135.2 Million, the same homeowner would have paid $389 more under a 7.9% tax increase Prior to the Havesi proposal which surfaced last week, the district had been anticipating paying a $1.1 Million contribution into the New York State Retirement Fund due to the state’s investment losses.

Richard Lasselle, Assistant Superintendent for Business, reported Monday night that the city payment into that fund was going to be reduced to only 4-1/2% from the 9% more the district had originally been accessed by the state. Lasselle said that the district has learned from the legislature that a combination of either Governor Pataki’s retirement relief proposal or Mr. Havesi’s was sure to be adapted, so the district has cut their budget for that retirement contribution down from $1.1 Million to $501,490.

The final budget of $134.7 Million, up from $126.9 Million in 2002-03, reflects only contract-driven pay increases, and preserves all the district programs of the current year. It adds $600,000 in new spending to retain pre-K and Universal Kindergarten, add 2 new certified staff positions, provide an additional $100,000 for enrichment/After School/Summer programs as the only new initiatives.

Next year, Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors said, the district would be looking to fund a new Special Education Initiative with an objective of providing more in-district services for disabled students which would pay for itself eventually by attracting placements from other districts.

Board of Education President Dorothy Schere said the contributions of the Annual Budget Committee of citizens from the community was “very successful” this year, supplying significant guidance in shaping the budget.

Characterized as a “bare bones” budget increase, adding $600,000 in new spending, and preserving current programs. The most significant increases year-to-year are in Utilities ($2.2MM), up 22%, Supplies,$2.0MM, up 18.8%, Fringe Benefits, $22,973,434, up 10.2% .

In the Fringe Benefit Cateogory, the New York State Retirement Contribution mentioned earlier in this report goes up 200% from $168,500 to $501,490. Health Insurance at $13,272,500, goes up 8.3%.


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