The following letter from Guilderland Superintendent of Schools Gregory Aidala was sent to newspapers throughout our area:

April 23, 2007

 

To the Editor:

I am sure that most of us are familiar with college basketball’s March Madness, highlighting the 64 teams who follow a rigorous schedule of games leading to a national championship. It has been said that Guilderland Central has its own version of March Madness, a series of six public meetings in which the Board of Education, administration, and the 20 members of the Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committee met to review various aspects of the district’s proposed spending plan for 2007-08.

This approach allows for extensive amounts of information to be presented in an open format, along with the opportunity for questions to be raised. Because each two-hour session is televised over Guilderland’s Time Warner Cable Channel 16, many at home are able to watch the proceedings as well. In the final analysis, once all input is provided, reviewed and discussed as part of the public presentation of both expenditures and anticipated revenues, the Board of Education is charged with adopting a revised budget which will then be presented to the voters on May 15.

The proposed budget for 2007-08 totals $81,942,000 and is expected to result in a tax rate increase of 2.48 percent. We were fortunate to receive additional state aid which was utilized to reduce the tax rate. Included in the budget are two important initiatives consistent with the Board of Education’s previously established goals; namely, to introduce the Foreign Language Early Start (FLES) program which involves the teaching of Spanish in the elementary grades starting in September and to enhance our K-12 instructional technology efforts.

Throughout the budget process, our primary goal has been to maintain existing instructional programs as educational needs were weighed in conjunction with the potential impact on taxes. Please know that the administration has taken steps to reduce spending as part of its energy management plan by limiting consumption and examining health insurance provisions for its employees, resulting in a savings of more than $300,000 for next year. The Board of Education has always sought to adopt a budget which provides a high quality program for its students at an affordable cost to taxpayers.

The purpose of this letter is to remind Guilderland residents to exercise their right to vote on May 15. The polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and voters will cast their ballots in one of the five elementary school attendance zones, depending on the location of their residence. In a democratic society, voting is an unalienable right which must never be taken for granted whether the issues focus on the school budget or a presidential election. If you wish to share your comments, I can be reached at aidalag@guilderlandschools.org or by telephone at 456-6200, ext. 3102.

Dr. Gregory Aidala, Superintendent
Guilderland Central School District