Proposed Scarsdale School Budget Trimmed: Tax Increase Reduced to 4.94%

Superintendent of Scarsdale Schools Dr. Michael McGill came back to the Board of Educationon Wednesday 2-13 with revisions to the administration's proposed budget, resulting in a decrease in the proposed tax levy increase from 6.88% to 4.94%. Wednesday night's meeting was the fourth in a series of meetings where the school administration presented its proposed budget for the 2013-2014 school year. Prior to the last meeting, the Board of Education had asked the administration to go back into their numbers and find places to cut $2 million from the proposed budget.

Notable changes from prior proposals include a decrease in the health insurance budget, and increase in funds drawn from the fund surplus, and a change in funding of the proposed wellness center, with the suggestion made by McGill that funds be drawn from the repair reserve fund, a budget line that can only be used for capital improvements. Funding for the wellness center will also come from money included in last year's budget for renovating the existing fitness center, which was never done, and also from money included in a prior year's budget for converting the auto shop in the high school into a multi-use space; also not completed this year. One cut to the Wellness Center plans was suggested as a means to making project financially feasible – a proposed "classroom of the future", included in the initial plans, would be shelved for the time being.

Another noteworthy change from the initial proposal was the removal of funding for six greeters spread among the elementary schools and middle school. Initially proposed as a way to increase security at these schools, cutting these positions created a savings of $256,000 in the proposed budget. McGill said that technology available today, including systems currently in use in the elementary schools, made the greeters unnecessary, and that the administration is looking into less costly solutions The proposal for greeters at the high school still remains, and security at the middle school is still under discussion. Additional savings came from cutting 8.5 additional staff positions, including 2 positions at the high school, 1 undesignated elementary school position, and 2 technology positions. The remaining 3.5 positions were reduced by attrition, 1.5 of which are from the Special Education department, 1 of which is a SHS librarian and the other of which is an SMS librarian.

The Board of Education will present its preliminary budget at the Board's next regularly scheduled meeting at 8:00pm, March 4 in Room 172 at Scarsdale High School. The final budget will be formally adopted at the Board's meeting on Monday, April 22 at 8:00pm in Room 172 at SHS, and the community will vote on the budget on Tuesday, May 21 in the Middle School Gyms.