MERIDIAN - Taxpayers in the Cato-Meridian Central School District will see a minor increase to the 2008-09 school budget when they go to the polls next month.
During a board of education meeting lasting more than three hours, the board unanimously approved the proposed school budget expected to be put before voters on May 20.
The overall budget proposed totals $18,259,804, a $1,081,640 increase over last year's numbers of $17,178,164, or 6.3 percent.
This equates to a tax levy of $5,016,248, an increase of $188,290 from last year, or a 3.9 percent increase.
According to Superintendent Deborah Bobo, the increase will fund the creation of a director of
technology, a foreign language teacher, a computer technician and a full-time psychologist for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade offering drug awareness.
Additionally the increase will allow the district to purchase 103 computers, provide SAT stipends to two people, provide the tax collector a $2,500 stipend and fund attendance to the New York State Middle School Conference held this year in Syracuse.
Furniture for the elementary, middle and high schools will be purchased at $5,000 per building, and data warehouse enhancement will cost $7,000.
There will be no change to instructional programs.
A last minute proposal from the athletics department to fund a junior varsity football team was approved by the board by deducting $6,000 from various line items within the budget.
A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 6 in the middle school auditorium.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
The overall budget proposed totals $18,259,804, a $1,081,640 increase over last year's numbers of $17,178,164, or 6.3 percent.
This equates to a tax levy of $5,016,248, an increase of $188,290 from last year, or a 3.9 percent increase.
According to Superintendent Deborah Bobo, the increase will fund the creation of a director of
technology, a foreign language teacher, a computer technician and a full-time psychologist for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade offering drug awareness.
Additionally the increase will allow the district to purchase 103 computers, provide SAT stipends to two people, provide the tax collector a $2,500 stipend and fund attendance to the New York State Middle School Conference held this year in Syracuse.
Furniture for the elementary, middle and high schools will be purchased at $5,000 per building, and data warehouse enhancement will cost $7,000.
There will be no change to instructional programs.
A last minute proposal from the athletics department to fund a junior varsity football team was approved by the board by deducting $6,000 from various line items within the budget.
A public hearing on the proposed budget is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. May 6 in the middle school auditorium.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
The Citizens' Say
There are 1 comment(s)
Hillbilly wrote on Apr 8, 2008 4:59 PM:
Why does the school have to hire a full-time psychologist to teach the kids about drug awareness? Can't the kids parents do this? Do parents really want their kids to be seeing a psychologist? And if they do why can't they make an appointment? How much does a full-time psychologist cost? I know parents cost the tax payer ZERO dollars. So with finances tight should the school really be buying a psychologist? Because once the school has one they will never be able to get along with out one again, like they do now.
How about the stipends? First they only want two stipends for "people" for SAT's. I assume this is for two kids to take the SAT's but, it does not say this. If it is then how do they pick who gets them? and how much do they really cost? My fear here is that if we give them only two this year how many will we pay for next year? By 2012 will we be paying stipends for the entire senior and junior classes to take the SAT's? I have a bad feeling about this one, the old give them and inch and they will take a mile saying.
Stipend #2, for the tax collector? What he/she does not get paid? Why would we, the tax payer, stipend the tax collector? This does not keep spending costs down now does it. I say NO to this one right now. Who on the school board is paying off the tax collector anyway? I'm just wondering not accusing.
Then they want the tax payer to fund whoever wants to attend the New York State Middle School Conference held this year in Syracuse. What does that cost a tank full of gas? Who will be going and how many? If they a educators and they are attending this conference in relation to their work, why can't they pay for it themselves? This way they can claim it on their taxes at the end of the year. Saving us tax payers money. Do you think our educators can do this for the tax payers?
Then they plan to spend $15,000.00 for new furniture. What do they plan to do with the old furniture? Will they have a community sale to see if they can recoup some of the new furniture cost from the sale of the old furniture? What kind of furniture will be bought? New student desks? Teachers desks? Book shelves? Or couches for a lounge? Again just wondering?
As for any new positions. Where I use to work, we were told in times of financial stress, do more with less. Meaning no your not getting more people to do the work, your going to have to get by with who you have.
What is a data warehouse? Is it a computer or a real building? Maybe a broom closet where we store the CD's? Will the students be able to break in as they did in Fayetteville? To change grades? Or is this all on paper?
I could attend the public hearing about this on May 6th at 6:30PM a Tuesday. My problem is I will be working a 12 hour shift from 7AM to 7PM and then be driving back from Syracuse that day. So by the time I get there the meeting will be over and I will still have no answers.
But, I do like the small sentence: "There will be no change to instructional programs." This means if this budget is voted down NO instructional programs will be lost. That is what school is for right? If we can still save the JV Football Team and maybe the computers then I'm all for it. I will even go for the furniture buy if they have a community sale of the old furniture first. Let's see how bad the old stuff is?
So as you think about the school and the kids and YOUR taxes ponder these questions. It might even make you ask some of your own. "