WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. January 29, 2007: The Board of Education took another look at the budget Monday evening and were told that the City School District is not expecting to have to come up with $8 Million in certiorari payments they were expecting two weeks ago. At that time, Assistant Superintendent for Business, Fred Seiler was predicting another $8 Million in bonding was expected.

Instead, Mr. Seiler announced, “expected settlements are being pushed out” by the City of White Plains and the school district expects not to have to face paying anything until the 2008-2009 budget year – at which time they could be bonded.  This easing of pressure on certioraris, “at no cost in interest to the district,”  Seiler said enables the district to lower the 2007-2008 “Preliminary Budget” to $174,410,269 (up  5.17%) from this year’s $165.8 Million).

 Seiler said the budget is expected to go up $8,568,835 or 5.17%. Seiler did not comment to reporters on whether this meant the city was actually going to fight a certiorari for a change or whether settlements had been made which stretch payments out. He did not disclose names of possible certiorari beneficiaries when asked or amounts.

The cut comes one week before the Annual Budget Committee convenes for the first time. Names of citizens making up that committee were not announced.

Superintendent of Schools Timothy Connors and Seiler explained that the salaries for the school district were expected to go up 3.13%, but that did not mean everybody was getting a 3.1% raise in pay. (The Teachers union contract is now under negotiation.) However, two weeks ago, Mr. Seiler said the 3.13% salary raise included allowance for settlement of the teachers’ contract.

Seiler said that $1,573,005 of the $8,568,835 increase was attributable to the Capital Projects bond which will increase the entire budget 1% (as Seiler said was projected when the Capital Projects Bond was proposed).

Superintendent Connors said in the course of the discussions on revenues that Governor Spitzer’s aid package was geared more to cities and rural areas, and the district was not expecting an increase in state aid beyond the $11 Million Seiler said the district received now.

Bill Pollak, member of the Board, asked when the new residential buildings in the city would be filled up, in hopes that a PILOT increase might be forthcoming. He referred to former Assessor Eyde McMarthy’s statements last spring where she indicated that the new buildings had not filled up and when they did, the district could expect possibly higher payments.

Seiler said that since McCarthys’ departure in December, “the city has been scrambling to catch up,” and that they have “a lot of challenges (of assessments).” Seiler said he had been in discussions with them and that they would not have any estimates of the assessment impacts until March 1 when they were required by law to inform the district. He said he had no indication whether assessments were up or down.

No estimate on taxe increase was given because of the unclear district revenue expectations at this time and the unclear state of the tax roll. Asked by Pollak is PILOTS would go up, Seiler said, “It’s hard to say.”

Seiler disclosed that less budget has been allowed for Utility increases this year, and transferred instead to Maintenance and Facilities. Seiler said the district was trying to budget more tightly this year, and that in the past when there was a surplus remaining in the Utility budget it was transferred to fund balance or used for other expenses.

 He said the major impact on the budget expenses were the increase in retirement benefits of 9%.

The Superintendent asked the press in attendance to clarify that the  cost of Transformation Systems contract for facilitating the district preparing astrategic plan  was $70,000, of which 42% was going to be reimbursed by BOCES. He wanted the public to know the $70,000 was not simply to pay for the World Café held last week, as was stated in a letter to The Journal News today.