by Thaddeus Flint
The Berlin Board of Education adopted a $19,099,991 budget for the 2015-2016 school year at the monthly Board meeting on April 21.
The adopted budget is $911,388 more than that of the 2014-2105 budget, a 5.01% increase. The projected tax levy will increase by .90%, or $79,292 over last year. The total tax levy is expected to be $8,890,232. [private]State aid will be $9,199,873, and increase of 10.94% over last year. The remainder of budgeted revenue is set to come from Miscellaneous Revenues ($436,000) and Appropriated Fund Balance ($573,806).
According to the District’s Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Stephen Young, the adopted budget will allow all existing academic programs in the District to remain, and continues all extracurricular programs and all levels of sports programs.
Any changes in positions, including reduction of one Grade 2, one Special Education, and one Business Education position are not expected to have any impact overall to the current education programs. Five teaching assistant positions are also being reduced. At the same time there will be some additions, including one 6-12 Reading Teacher, one K-12 Response to Intervention Specialist, one Tech. Education position, two monitors, one part-time ELL Teacher, one Communication Specialist (twice a week) and a Transportation Supervisor.
Salaries and benefits, as always, will make up the majority of expenditures in 2015-2106, at $14,993,993, an increase of 4% over the previous budget. Teaching salaries will go up $299,496 (+5.18%), Administrator salaries will increase $19,163 (+3.53%), and Support Staff salaries will grow by $195,755 (+6.55%). Health Insurance is budgeted to increase by a whopping 11.94%, to $2,935,947, although this will at least be partly offset by a decrease in NYS Teacher Retirement of -22.76% or $281,454 less than 2014-2015.
The budget was approved with all Board members voting in favor.
Those residents who would like to voice their opinion on the proposed budget are welcome to do so at the Public Hearing on the budget which will be held May 7 at the High School library.
Voting on the budget will take place on May 19 from noon to 9 pm at the Berlin Elementary School. Voters will also choose two Board members for seats currently held by Katie Fiske and Gina Goodermote. Resident Kelly Kaschak will also be on the ballot in a challenge to the two incumbent Board members.
The night began with resident Joanne Kellar speaking out in regard to the Common Core testing that is so polarizing American education today. Kellar also advocated for an expanded Special Education program in the District to allow those students with limited learning abilities to get the extra attention they need. Board President Frank Zwack encouraged Kellar, and all other parents and residents who feel the same way, to write letters to their government representatives. “They need to hear this,” said Zwack. “Your letter comes from the heart.”
The next regularly scheduled Board meeting will be May 20 at 7:15 pm, although there will be a round-table meeting on May 7 after the Budget Hearing.[/private]