eastwickpress

by Alex Brooks

The only people in the audience for the public hearing on the Hoosick Falls Central School’s (HFCS) Budget for next year were this reporter and School Board candidate Andrew Beaty.

The proposed budget of $22,487,085 increases total spending by 3.2% over this year and requires a tax levy increase of 1.43%.  The District was careful to keep the tax levy increase lower than the mandated tax cap, which is calculated at 1.44% for HFCS for this year, to make sure that if the State sends out rebate checks to Districts which stayed under the cap, the residents of the Hoosick Falls District will get one.

School Superintendent Ken Facin said the goal of the District’s budgeting is to improve student performance at a cost the taxpayers can handle. He said that in the seven years that he has been at the helm, the tax levy has gone up by a total of 12.1%. He said the District is continuing to improve its students’ results with 40 less employees than they had seven years ago.

Business Administrator Pam Hatfield talked about the strategies she uses to plan for unknowns in the budget, such as price spikes for fuel or electricity or new students coming into the District, which can increase bus route expense, or special education accommodations.

The bus proposition this year is for the purchase of three buses for a total cost of $290,000, to replace two 65 passenger buses and replace an 18 passenger wheelchair bus with a new 12 passenger bus with capacity for five wheelchairs. This will be paid for through five year borrowing, 82% State aid reimbursement and an existing bus reserve, so it will have no impact on the taxpayers.

The budget for 2014-15 eliminates a special education position upon retirement and eliminates a half time ELA teacher and a half time special ed/elementary teaching position. It adds a six hour per day teacher aide position, and it adds a full time ELA position in the High School. It increases summer curriculum work for co-teaching, allowing regular teachers and special ed teachers to work together on issues raised by integrating special ed students into regular classes. It also adds a summer outdoor education program run by retired Cambridge science teacher Howard Romack.

School Board President Greg Laurin emphasized that the school is performing at a higher level than it ever has before. Academic results are improving, and the school is doing extraordinary things in the arts, athletics and extracurricular activities. A really good school benefits the community in many ways, said Laurin. He urged the residents to come out to vote on the budget on May 20.