WPCNR SCHOOL DAYS. By John F. Bailey. March 4, 2008 UPDATED WITH PIX 5:24 PM: The Board of Education was presented with a Draft Budget $6 Million less than the $190.7 Million Preliminary Budget presented in January last night. The new Draft Budget comes in at $184.8 Million, a 6.2% increase in spending compared to the 9.6% increase previously proposed. The reduction was achieved by taking out $3 Million of projected certiorari refunds which will be funded most likely by adding to certiorari borrowing next year planned previously.  

School Hears the Draft Budget Monday evening.

The 2008-2009 Draft Budget: $184,828,900

$559 Tax Increase for typical $700,000 Home.

The new budget, combined with 2008 city assessments holding steady at $290.2 Million as announced yesterday, and a scenario assuming the rest of school revenues consisting of $36 Million remains in place, would mean a school tax increase of $559 for the median White Plains homeowner ( house market value of $700,000). The tax rate per $1,000 of assessed valuation would go up $37 to $511/per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The Expense Increases Adding up to the 6.2% increase in the budget. The largest expense increase in the debt service -- including the Capital Project now under way -- 38.74%. This  2.9 Million in debt service will go up in 2009-2010 when the bond for Post Road School comes on line.

The balance of the approximately $3 Million in savings (in addition to offloading certiorari payments into bonds)  consisted of retirements and administrative  and personnel departures resulting in  $1,000,000 in savings in Salaries; $866,000 saved on Fringe Benefits because of only a 12% increase in health costs, less than expected; $230,500 in Tuition costs; $134,000 in Equipment;   $50,000 in repairs; $163,000 reduction in Utilities; $300,000 in Debt Service and $121,474 in miscellaneous cuts.

Staff for district down 14 persons.

No new teachers are being projected at this time to be added to the budget. The district reported that the staff of 47 Administrators was down by 2, and were not going to be replaced; the staff of 659 certified teachers was  657, with the loss of just 2, and they were not expected to be replaced.

The clerical staff as of October consisted of 113 persons, down 5 from last year. The Number of Teaching Assistants is 238, down 5 from 2006-2007, and the number of Facilities & Operations staff was 90, the same as last year. There were no plans announced to cut staff farther from that.  This makes a total of 1,145 employees, plus there are another approximately 300 employees of the district based on information WPCNR received last year from the district.

New School Data System Needed. BOCES Unable to Deliver.

School Superintendent Timothy Connors announced to the Board that the district is planning to overhaul their technology and data reporting operation, long time a source of irritation to the Board of Education for the inability of present data systems to produce longitudinal studies on student groups as they move through the grades, whether this data roadblock applied to financial patterns was not clear.

Superintendent Connors with Fred Seiler, Assistant Superintendent for Business explaining the District data failures last night.

 Superintendent of Schools, Timothy Connors, BOCES has not been able to do what the district thought they could in providing the data analysis of district academic results and studies the district has long requested. Two new software programs are being considered, and the need for a Data Processing Manager, whether on a consulting business or a possible new Board position is being considered to upgrade the district ability to report on its academic

State Aid under Governor Eliot Spitzer's latest proposal would decline almost 4%, Seiler estimated.

In the course of the evening, Assistant Superintendent for Business Fred Seiler said that the school district would receive  less school aid. He said it was unclear what the City Assessment Roll was for 2008.

Good News from City Hall

However, City Assessor Lloyd Tasch reported yesterday that the Roll did not decline from last year, and was actually up some $400,000, meaning the district can expect to collect the same property tax handle they did last year ( approximately $138,495,172). If all other sources of revenue stay steady (last year amounting to $36 Million, the district will have to raise the tax rate $37  per $1,000 over the $474.62/$1,000 to meet the $184.8 Million Draft Budget.

Tax Rate Would Top $500/$1,000 per $1,000 of Assessed Value

The resulting tax rate of $511.62 would mean that a $700,000 home in White Plains, with an assessed value of $14,775 would pay an additional $547 in school taxes next year, a total school tax of $7,559. Add city tax  of $2,700 and the tax bill for the median home owner would top $10,200. You would have to add the county tax on top of that.  WPCNR cautions that this would be the school tax if the rest of the school revenues from last year remain at present levels. Should school aid decline, and other revenue sources decline, the tax increase will be more.

The Annual Budget Committee meets for the second time Wednesday evening to review the Draft Budget.