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Board of Education adopts 2008-09 budget
District residents to go to the polls on
May 20 to decide on $83 million budget;
Estimated tax rate increase of 1.43 percent
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At its meeting on April 8, the
Guilderland Board of Education unanimously adopted an
$83,823,160 budget for the 2008-09 school year. The plan
represents a 2.08 percent increase in spending over the
current year’s budget and would result in an estimated 1.43
percent tax rate increase if approved by voters on May 20.
Several changes have been incorporated
into the proposed spending plan since it was first
introduced to the Citizens’ Budget Advisory Committee on
February 28. Most notably, the plan now includes an
additional 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) unassigned
teaching position to be used only in response to
unanticipated increases in student enrollment throughout the
school year.
The budget also now features additional
support for the Foreign Language Early Start (FLES) program,
as well as an additional $90,000 to address skyrocketing
diesel fuel and gasoline prices.
“Developing a sound spending plan is
always a challenge,” said Superintendent of Schools John
McGuire. “Yet through collaboration and discussion, I
believe that we have been able to strike a balance between
meeting our students’ needs and being highly accountable to
our taxpayers.”
Addressing student needs
In addition to maintaining existing
programs and services throughout the district, the proposed
spending plan also includes several staffing changes aimed
at addressing student needs in the areas of reading and
English as a Second Language (ESL).
A total of 1.2 FTE reading teacher
positions will be added at the elementary level, as well as
an additional 1.0 FTE reading teacher at the high school.
To meet the needs of our youngest
English language learners, a 1.0 FTE position has been
included to work with ESL students across all five
elementary buildings.
Also included in the budget:
• Introduction of Project Lead the
Way (PLTW), a new high school pre-engineering program.
PLTW will provide students with an in-depth, hands-on
knowledge of engineering concepts and principles using a
sequential, multi-year approach. The program links math and
science courses with technical courses using project based
learning. Students will work primarily in lab settings and
will be able to earn college credits. Full implementation of
the PLTW program will take place over four years. The first
unit of study will be offered as an elective in the 2008-09
school year, with subsequent courses added each year.
• An expansion of the Foreign Language Early Start (FLES)
program. FLES was introduced to elementary students
throughout the district at the beginning of the 2007-08
school year. Since its inception, the program—which
currently provides weekly Spanish instruction to students in
grades K-2— has been well received by students, teachers,
and parents alike. Included in the proposed budget for next
year is an expansion of the FLES program to all students in
grade 3, which calls for an additional .5
full-time-equivalent (FTE) teaching position.
• Guidance supervisor at the secondary level. Also
included in next year’s budget is the creation of a guidance
supervisor/counselor position to work with students and
staff at the secondary level. Although proposed as a
supervisory position, the new staff member will spend about
40 percent of his/her time working directly with students in
a counseling role. The supervisor for guidance will address
a current need within the district for more support in
helping students to successfully navigate the many academic
options available both at Guilderland High School and
beyond.
Areas of savings
For the first time in five years,
district contributions to employee retirement systems,
required by New York State, are decreasing by more than
$550,000—resulting in a significant cost savings for the
district. The district also expects to save around $275,000
due to lower premium rate increases for health insurance.
Teacher and administrator retirements,
as well as several proposed staffing changes, account for an
additional $920,000 in savings.
Staffing changes include:
Elementary level:
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Additions: 1.0 FTE ESL, 1.2 FTE
Reading, .5 FTE Spanish (FLES)
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Reductions: 5.6 FTE (enrollment
decline)
Middle School level:
High School:
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Additions: 1.0 FTE Teaching (FL,
math, science, social studies), 1.0 FTE Guidance
supervisor/counselor, 1.0 FTE Reading
District-wide:
Additional information about the
proposed 2008-09 school year budget will be sent home to all
district residents via a special newsletter in early May.
Also, please be sure to check back to this Web page for the
latest news and events regarding next year's school budget.
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