The Medina school board passed the 2008-09 budget Monday evening with out much discussion. The total spending plan is $30,163,792, said Scott Hoot, director of financial services for the district.
“The tax levy will remain unchanged in the proposed budget,” he said.
Total expenses in the 2008-09 budget — $30,163,792 — are an increase over last year’s expenditures by $1.5 million, a 5.53 percent increase, Hoot said. However, expenditures will be offset by a significant amount of state aid on the revenue side, keeping the tax levy stable.
“The increase, budget to budget, is almost exactly the same as expenditures of $1.5 million,” he said.
According to Hoot, the school tax rate will not be determined until after property assessments are turned over to the school from the various assessing towns in the district. There is always change with assessments, he said, however, those rates do not influence the spending plan.
“The assessment rates have no impact on the school expenditure budget, which is what was adopted tonight (Monday),” he said.
Superintendent Richard Galante said Gov. David Paterson was very strong in sticking with former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to increase state aid for schools. However, despite a zero percent increase due to state funds, the district will continue to watch its spending.
“We still need to continue to be prudent, because those coffers could dry up at any time,” Galante said.
Galante said budget season is always a crucial time of the year in the district office and thanked everyone who helped in the process. But he had a special message for the residents in the school district.
“To the taxpayers ... I went back through the records and we’ve never had a zero percent increase,” in the tax levy, he said. “The community deserves to have a year that there isn’t an increase.”
School board President Susan Squires said she was grateful to the administrators and Hoot for the work they put into the budget for the upcoming school year.
Community member and school board candidate Rosalind Lind questioned if membership to the New York State School Board Association had been reinstated. Membership cost is in the $7,000 range and was a line item that was removed from last year’s spending. The funds have been included in the 2008-09 budget, Galante said.
The budget vote will take place May 20.
In other Medina school news
• There are 36 school days left in the year, and final exams begin June 16. The district has approximately 150 students graduating this year.
• The school board has three seats open and four candidates this year. Up for re-election are Carl Tuohey and Susanne Keryk. Also running are Christopher Keller and Lind. Their names will appear on the ballot in that order. The elections for school board members will be held May 20, along with the budget vote.
Local News
MEDINA SCHOOLS: Tax levy stays same
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Local pro-lifers protest in D.C.
Thousands of abortion opponents marched to the Supreme Court on Monday to mark the 39th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, and supportive lawmakers urged them to further their cause by working to defeat President Barack Obama in the fall.
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Cardenas trail set for March
The trial of Carlos Cardenas will move forward in March at the Orleans County Court following the conclusion of a pre-trail hearing on the admissibility of statements made by Cardenas.
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Board resets salaries
Albion Town Clerk Sarah Basinait and Highway Superintendent Jed Standish, whose salaries were chopped in the 2012 town budget, will not see a pay decrease after all.
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Senate passes Abbagail's Law
Legislation passed in the New York State Senate could have far-reaching effects for those caught under the influence while acting as a supervising driver.
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YMCA growth is community plus
Efforts to expand both regionally and in programming is apparently paying big dividends as YMCA membership is up some 35 percent over the past year and a half.
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Library story hour
Children’s Services Librarian Sue McAllister is reading a story to children from the Head Start program at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. This is a monthly story hour program the library does for Head Start.
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Albion tries to figure out Albany's intent
The imposition of a property tax cap is forcing the Albion Central School District to make budget changes, but Superintendent Michael Bonnewell says the issue is due more to an unknown procedure than the levy requirements.
Albion has held tax rates level or lower in recent years. The district is still working to determine where the levy will land, but they expect to slide well below the state-set ceiling for property tax levy increases.
The challenge Albion faces, Bonnewell said, is correctly deciphering the state’s intentions and avoiding penalties if they guess wrong. -
Wine About Winter ramping up
Downtown Medina Businesses will once again be opening their doors and popping corks to celebrate Wine About Winter, which returns for a third year from 2 to 7 p.m. Feb. 4.
More than 30 businesses will participate in the Medina Business Association event, which gives patrons a wine glass and a map of local businesses hosting wine tastings and special offers. -
Strickland Auxiliary donated to vets
Recently Patricia Nolan, president; Corinne Pahura, first vice president and chairman of veterans and family support committee; and Joyce O’Connor, treasurer of Strickland Ladies Auxiliary, Post No. 4635 Veterans of Foreign Wars, delivered a check for $500 to Paul Fulcomer, executive director of Orleans County Joint Council.
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Dinner, dancing and fundraising
The Lyndonville Music Boosters are hosting a night of dinner and dancing Saturday as part of the final push to raise funds for a music trip to Orlando.
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