2008-09- Budget
Development
Preliminary
Assumptions for 2008-09 Budget Development:
·
Enrollment
growth is expected to continue but at a slower pace. Projections were developed
by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission (CDRPC) and presented to
the Board of Education on
·
State
aid is expected to see a 2-3% increase, in accordance to the multi-year
approach formulated by the Governor.
·
Expenditure
driven aids such as for transportation, textbooks, BOCES, building, Excess
Cost, will be adjusted accordingly.
·
Recent
rash of tax certiorari claims seeking reductions in assessments, coupled with
the slowed rate of construction, is expected to reflex a reduction in the
overall rate of growth of the district’s total assessed valuation, as well as a
need to increase reserves for impending settlements.
·
Interest
earnings are expected to rise slightly.
·
The
transfer to the Debt Service Fund could increase slightly for the coming year, for
the 2008-09 school year initial construction bonds for the new elementary
school, middle school additions, pool and transportation projects. However, it
is expected to go down thereafter as a result of project debts maturing and
coming of the books.
·
Insurance
costs, including liability and health insurance will continue to rise, with drug
and health premiums expecting to see double digit increases.
·
Costs
for energy will increase over current year budget, reflecting both unit cost
increase as well as adjustments for additional square footage. However, the
rate of increase continues to be mitigated by keen energy management practices.
·
Teacher’s
Retirement contribution costs will increase according to established rate
structure, with 2008-09 range of 6-8% of payroll.
·
Meeting
federal (NCLB), state and district educational standards, particularly for
special education K-12, students at risk (AIS) K-12, and the high school
alternative education program, will have an impact on budget allocations in
terms of personnel and supplies.
·
Progressive
program initiatives designed to prepare students with the skills sets for the
21st Century will be introduced, ie high
school
·
Personnel
costs will based on contractual agreements, with the contracts expiring as
follows:
o
STA
--
o
o
o
CSEA
--
o
SASIE
(certified substitutes) --
·
Equipment
needs are on-going and abundant, dictating a need to budget based on a
district-wide plan (musical instruments, classroom furnishing, etc.)
Preliminary
Expectations for 2008-09 Budget Development:
·
A
Zero-Based Budget approach will be taken, meaning budget allocations will be
justified and more transparent in terms of expected needs, and stipulated in a
line-by-line budget code structure.
·
Cost
saving reductions, reallocation of resources and/or identification of new
funding sources, as well as consideration to phasing in potential staffing
needs, must be considered when proposing new or expanded programs/services.
·
Staffing
projections at the elementary level will continue to be based upon class sizes in
comparison to the targeted midpoint.
·
Funding
parameters for schools will be based on a per pupil allocations accounting for
level and needs, as well as specific priorities identified by the various
buildings and/or departments.
·
Standardized
lists of student supplies will be generated and properly allocated for in
budget, while a short-list of personal-use supplies will be generated and
distributed to parents.
·
All
legal and contractual obligations shall be appropriately addressed, including
increasing the level of reserves for impending tax certiorari cases.
·
Furniture
and equipment needs will be prioritized based needs in accordance with a district-wide
long-range plan.
·
Technology
allocations will focus on instructional needs as outlined in the Technology
Opening Picture (TOP), coupled and consistent with the recommendations of the
Instructional Technology Committee.
·
Facility
maintenance and repair will be addressed based on the District’s long-range
plan for facilities via the special projects budget allocation ($400K).