The Schuylerville Board of Education adopted the 2021-22 budget proposal that will go before voters on Tuesday, May 18. Qualified voters will vote from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the District Office Board of Education room. The $38 million proposed budget calls for a 1.53% spending increase and an estimated tax levy increase of 0.9%. The district’s five-year comparative spending plan exemplifies a continued effort to remain fiscally conservative for the taxpayers while maintaining academic programming and staffing.
“It is the district’s goal to present a balanced and fiscally conservative budget each year that also provides continued opportunities for our students,” said Schuylerville Central School District Business Manager Marian Chrisman. “The state aid projections provided the ability to keep the district’s tax levy below the allowable tax cap of 1.23%.”
Highlights of the 2021-22 budget
- Four term elementary positions were added for the 2020-21 school year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to reduce class sizes for physical distancing purposes.
- For the 2021-22 school year, three of those elementary positions will be maintained in the budget, with the goal of keeping average class sizes between 15-18 students.
- This allows two K-5 reading Academic Intervention Support (AIS) teachers, currently assigned to classrooms, to be reinstated as AIS reading teachers. These teachers will address individual learning needs and focus on early intervention.
- Retaining the fourth school nurse that was originally hired as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bus Leasing Proposition
Also on the ballot will be a bus lease proposition, renewing a five-year lease agreement that will replace eight, 65-passenger buses and three 25-passenger buses for the 2020-21 school year. The proposition reflects the five-year total cost and will be budgeted annually over five years.
Public Hearing
A public hearing on the proposed 2021-22 budget will be held May 6 at 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Board of Education room.
Click here to view the 2021-22 budget proposal presentation.
Click here to view the transportation bus lease renewal plan.