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Post by Wantagh Parent on Mar 9, 2013 12:57:53 GMT -5
From the district website, the first 2014/14 budget workshop is Monday, 3/11 at 7:00 in the HS cafeteria. These budget workshops are in lieu of the BAC process.
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2013 BUDGET WORKSHOPS
The district will be offering Budget Workshops for the entire community over the course of three evenings – March 11, March 18 and April 3 at 7 p.m. in the High School Cafeteria. There will also be a morning session on Tuesday, April 9 at 10 a.m. at the Wantagh Public Library.
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Post by Wantagh Parent on Mar 11, 2013 9:45:02 GMT -5
Reminder - the first workshop is tonight.
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Post by lilly on Mar 12, 2013 10:05:44 GMT -5
Here are the highlights from last night's workshop.
For Wantagh, the 2% tax cap is 3.71% and it looks like any budget put forth will be at that maximum.
State aid will be down -.8%, foundation aid is frozen, nigh tax aid is reduced. Revenue will be presented in the next workshop.
First draft includes maintaining class sizes, all sports, full day Kindergarten, 9 periods, Horizons, some tech to satisfy online testing mandates (paper testing is phasing out), etc. as well as Wantagh finally paying for the AP and college level textbooks they were supposed to all along.
TRS and ERS are at high increases, +37% and +17%, respectively. Security increased. Debt service/bond payments down by $300k. Looks like poor old facilities & maintenance is flat, which is same old, same old in Wantagh.
We will be losing 5 sections/classes across the 3 elem schools due to declining enrollment.
We will be down 1 teacher FTE (would have been 5? except adding back for full day Kindergarten) and loss of two social workers (oh no, losing Mrs. Klein will be a loss to the district as well as Ginger Mencher has been there a long time).
No mention of short/long term planning. When asked how we are going to sustain full day Kindergarten after 2013/14 where we get the aid back, the answer was district reserves for years 2 and 3. The leadership of this BOE in terms of lack of any sort of financial planning remains ALARMING.
Asked about hardships to the Mandalay folks/Sandy victims who traditionally have paid some of the highest taxes in the town, are facing insurance shortfalls and funding to rebuild as well as escalating flood insurance premiums, the BOE stated they don't believe a high increase will be a problem and they are coming back.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 13, 2013 10:43:57 GMT -5
In her comprehensive report, Lilly noted specifically: "When asked how we are going to sustain full day Kindergarten after 2013/14 where we get the aid back, the answer was district reserves for years 2 and 3." What is a little annoying is the persistent noise about "sustain" applied to Kindergarten. We don't question repeatedly the sustainability of... - half-day kindergarten, which is not mandated
- librarians in the elementary schools, which are not mandated
- Middle School sports
- Mandalay, the school itself (or Forest Lake, the school itself)
- AP Classes
- College-level classes
- Electives, like forensics, or photography
- Public Relations professionals
- Having two Assistant Superintendents (after having gotten rid of one of those positions After Dr. Bonuso retired).
- I could go on....
If we are going to have any discussion about sustainability, then let's open up that discussion across-the-board, so to speak. Personally, I think that an open discussion could yield well over $1 Million in savings...presuming that savings is the name of the game, here in the Wantagh Savings District. Oh wait, no, we are the Wantagh School District. But I digress. Full-Day K, by the way, will have no immediate impact on the tax rate, whether it is in or out of this budget. It is not a factor at all in meeting the tax cap. I am glad to hear that Full-day K is currently in the budget. More pleased than perplexed by this report. With thanks, Chris Wendt |
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Post by hightax on Mar 13, 2013 22:03:46 GMT -5
For anyone that cannot wait until Monday  | SCHOOL AID DATA | | New York State Executive Budget 2013-14 | | | | DISTRICT: | WANTAGH | | | | | COUNTY: | Nassau | | | | | NYSUT Regional Office: | Nassau | | | | | | | | | |
[/td] [td]Enacted Budget[/td] [td]Executive Budget[/td] [td] [/td] [td]Percent[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] [/td] [td]2012-13[/td] [td]2013-14[/td] [td]Change[/td] [td]Change[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [/tr] [tr.] [td]Foundation Aid[/td] [td]10,550,707 [/td] [td]10,550,707 [/td] [td]-[/td] [td]0.00%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Full Day K Conversion Aid.[/td] [td] - [/td] [td]649,606[/td] [td]649,606[/td] [td]NA[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Universal Prekindergarten Aid[/td] [td]- [/td] [td]- [/td] [td]- [/td] [td]NA[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Transportation Aid w/Summer.[/td] [td]912,712 [/td] [td]1,055,165 [/td] [td]142,453 [/td] [td]15.61%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]BOCES Aid.[/td] [td]812,668 [/td] [td]947,987 [/td] [td]135,319 [/td] [td]16.65%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Special Services Aid[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]NA[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Private Excess Cost Aid and Public High Cost Aid[/td] [td]845,339 [/td] [td]945,957 [/td] [td]100,618 [/td] [td]11.90%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Hardware and Technology Aid[/td] [td]38,036 [/td] [td]42,584 [/td] [td]4,548 [/td] [td]11.96%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Software, Library & Textbook Aid[/td] [td]293,473 [/td] [td]283,814 [/td] [td] (9,659)[/td] [td] -3.29%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Charter School Transition Aid[/td] [td]- [/td] [td]- [/td] [td]- [/td] [td]NA[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Operating Reorg. Incentive Aid[/td] [td]- [/td] [td]- [/td] [td] - [/td] [td]NA[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Academic Enhancement Aid [/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]NA[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]High Tax Aid[/td] [td]872,758 [/td] [td]261,827 [/td] [td] (610,931)[/td] [td] -70.00%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Suppl. Public Excess Cost Aid[/td] [td]22,291 [/td] [td]22,291 [/td] [td]-[/td] [td]0.00%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Building Aid & Building Reorg Incentive[/td] [td]1,448,489 [/td] [td]1,403,505 [/td] [td] (44,984)[/td] [td] -3.11%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA)[/td] [td](2,128,237)[/td] [td](1,949,894)[/td] [td]178,343 [/td] [td][/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] GRAND TOTAL AID[/td] [td] 13,668,236[/td] [td] 14,213,549[/td] [td] 545,313[/td] [td] 3.99%[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [td] [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Source: 2013-14 State Aid Files, January 2013[/td] [td][/td] [td][/td] [td][/td] [td][/td] [/tr] [/table] |
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Post by bnjasper on Mar 14, 2013 15:08:07 GMT -5
Sustainability
Simple definition is to keep it going. Chris picked on this word when used in reference to the ability to keep funding the full day kindergarten. Funding which in the first year has state aid as its main endower.
The leaders in our district have stated that it is an essential for the future education of our children. So let’s not challenge that position of need. But for someone to ask how we will pay for it in the future does not seem unfair. Remember we are talking about a program being introduced in a bureaucracy. Once it’s in place it will NOT go away.
What we need is a full comprehensive review of all programs and teaching positions. Then we would feel comfortable that full day K will be funded and not simply funded by the tax payers.
In a time when our pension systems are costing us large annual increases and our long term obligations for medical insurance to retirees grows well above inflation rates we need planning. To use our reserves to fund new programs sounds like our federal government is running our district.
We have in excess of fourteen million in reserves as of the end of year 2012. Money put there by the taxpayers. Tax payers should participate in the use of those funds.
Long term debt per Citizen 11/1/12
As of June 30,2012
Debt $22,750,000
Post employment benefits $20,737,655
Absences $2,579,904
Other $338,342
Total $46,405,901
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 14, 2013 21:52:35 GMT -5
I honestly do not want to be arguing over the valid, logical points raised by bnjasper. The Full-day K Transition Aid is a categorical type aid, a one-shot, with only one string attached: transition from half-day k to full day, and collect $649K, no questions asked. The beneficent State of NY has not attached any additional string or condition on the transition aid, meaning, there is no requirement to calculate or certify the sustainability of full-day k as a condition of taking the state's money to start it up.
Wouldn't it be nice if we had any SED requirements to ascertain and guarantee sustainability of many other things, like the new Elementary Supervisor position created in reaction to APPR, for example, you know, before they were ever implemented.
We both have imagined and hoped, for how many years now, that someone would perform some long-range planning. But neither of us has been sufficiently persuasive to have caused that to happen.
In years two, on, full-day k will have to stand up among everything in the budget for prioritization and retention, as well as the exigencies and contingencies confronting the district. I can honestly say that, after year one, I really could not predict or discern the sustainability of full-day k, or any other single item among everything we we pay for or for which we collect money in our budget.
For now, next year, full-day k is a free educational improvement, and to my personal thinking, deserves support rather than opposition.
Regards
Chris Wendt
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Post by lilly on Mar 15, 2013 12:54:04 GMT -5
Chris, just to be clear, I fully support full day Kind. Actually, I think it is an embarrassment to Wantagh as well as a disservice to our kids that we have remained in the 8% of NY districts that don't have it, and what, 2 of the 40+ Nassau County districts that don't.
Full day Kind, however, is only a "free" educational improvement in year 1. Since it is "free", the perception that the reason for putting up the maximum tax increase for vote should *not* be floated around. They don't go hand in hand in 2013/14.
With full day Kind being "free" in 2013/14, exactly why is the BOE putting forth a budget that will be at the maximum tax increase, ~3.71% allowable? It is too high for a number of reasons.
I am surprised that district reserves were quietly built up to the amount it has. Is that why the BOE continually puts up budgets with high increases? (Remember Mike Cucci the year the budget went down stated in the budget hearing to expect ~8% increases annually? The taxpayers said no then. Now, at the 2%/3.71% for Wantagh cap, we are the maximum allowable with "free" full day Kind?)
And doesn't the fact that we are embarrassingly behind in offering full day Kind speak to our lack of long/short term financial planning?
Others have stepped up to the plate e.g., current teachers contract, parental support and involvement. Why can't this BOE?
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 15, 2013 14:49:48 GMT -5
I think Lilly enumerated the reasons for the proposed budget increase in her initial report in this thread. The tax cap is being observed, and before too much discussion can be had about the budget or the tax cap, readers should realize this is an early version, and that the State Budget has not been finalized, which means State Aid has not been finalized, which means the proposed tax levy cannot be finalized...yet. There was also a *credit* of $195K that was "unused" from last year's tax cap maximum, which I think deserves at least passing recognition when considering or discussing this year's tax cap.
BIG Pension cost increases are drivers of this budget increase, and there is nothing the BoE can do right now about that, directly. I also heard that health care costs are going up significantly, and I know that there is a small mid-year teacher salary increase coming due next year.
There are some fairly important staffing changes in the proposed budget which indicate to me that the BoE and Admin are approaching this seriously and hopefully effectively.
For now, this does not appear to be a "business as usual" type of budget. Of course, I will reserve final judgment for the final budget version, later.
Regards,
Chris Wendt
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Post by Wantagh Parent on Mar 18, 2013 8:19:57 GMT -5
Reminder - the second workshop is tonight.
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Mar 19, 2013 11:13:13 GMT -5
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Post by lilly on Mar 20, 2013 8:37:57 GMT -5
I just commented on the patch. Slightly misleading info there. The tax levy increase is +3.71%, whereas the spending increase is 3.39%. Misleading in that 3.39% was the first # mentioned, people might think the tax levy increase is 3.39 not the 3.71 it will be (so far, acc to draft).
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Apr 2, 2013 9:51:30 GMT -5
There is another Budget Workshop tomorrow, Wednesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. in the High School Cafeteria. We have seen the preliminary budgets that had been put together before the State Budget was passed. The final State Budget has now been passed, signed into law, and communicated to SED and the school districts.
I am looking forward with great interest and anticipation to this next budget workshop, hoping to learn how the new State Budget will actually impact next year's budget, school programs, and tax levy.
It is close to that time again!
Here's hoping for the best.
Chris Wendt
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Apr 3, 2013 5:19:40 GMT -5
Tonight is the night of the next Budget Workshop...7:00 PM...Wantagh High School Cafeteria. This will be the first workshop since the NY State Budget was passed, from which our State Aid is determined. These are some tough times. Readers of Patch are aware that our neighbors in Seaford are facing a $1 Million problem that is likely to cause $1 Million in spending cuts in Seaford's programs. (Hyperlink to Patch article on Seaford's dilemma).Tonight's meeting, here in Wantagh, is sandwiched-in between two Seaford BoE meetings, last night and tomorrow night. There are strong signals of bad news in the making for Seaford's students and parents. What kind of news will we be getting tonight, up at Wantagh High? Be there! Chris Wendt |
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Post by Chris_Wendt on Apr 4, 2013 5:24:01 GMT -5
There was generally good news about the budget last night. For me, Full-Day Kindergarten and the 2.79% tax levy were the real highlight items. The overall good news, however, was the preservation of virtually all educational, extracurricular and co-curricular programs in the district.
All in all, this proposed budget is a real credit to the Wantagh Board of Education and our Administration. Hard work and teamwork were both very evident in the final document and presentation.
Thank you all for what you have accomplished in these trying times!
Sincerely,
Chris Wendt
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