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North Country schools pass St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES budget 18-0

Posted 4/19/18

CANTON — Each year, the 18 component school districts must vote on the administrative component of the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES budget, which is approximately 11 percent of the overall 2018-19 …

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North Country schools pass St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES budget 18-0

Posted

CANTON — Each year, the 18 component school districts must vote on the administrative component of the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES budget, which is approximately 11 percent of the overall 2018-19 budget. It passed unanimously Monday night.

The budget is developed through advisory committees, comprised of school district representatives and BOCES staff. Beginning in early fall and continuing through March, programmatic needs and student priorities are identified, and cost-saving measures are assessed.

“Our proposed budget is a direct reflection of school districts’ requests for services for the coming school year,” said BOCES spokesperson Rebekah Grim.

Unlike school district budgets, BOCES have no revenue streams such as state aid or a tax levy, so their program and service fees represent the full cost of operating programs.

“Unexpended dollars from the previous year cannot be utilized by the BOCES and are returned to our component schools within the next fiscal year,” she explained.

The primary factor in administrative budget increases is retiree health insurance costs. These “legacy” costs total $5,225780 or over 75 percent of the administrative budget. Including these costs in the administrative budget is a guideline in the BOCES handbook and state education law.

“This makes yearly legacy cost increases transparent to the districts, rather than “hiding” them in the program costs,” Grim added. “By pooling the costs through the BOCES, districts save money because these costs represent shared positions, which means districts do not have to shoulder the retiree benefits on their own. It also means that districts receive more BOCES aid back from the state. “

The BOCES budget is typically unanimously approved since it is a direct reflection of the services the school districts have already signed up for in the following year. Each year, school districts select BOCES services for their district based on their needs, including special education, instructional support, cooperative purchasing, etc. BOCES makes it possible for districts to provide services or programs that they otherwise would not be able to afford on their own.

“All BOCES collaborate with school districts to develop shared programs that serve students and promote equity among all districts regardless of enrollment, income or size of tax base,” she said. “The BOCES network helps to relieve some of the financial burdens increasingly placed on local taxpayers.”

School districts receive a portion of the costs of these services back in the form of BOCES expense aid from the state.

Grim said the amount reimbursed to districts is based on a state-approved formula that multiplies eligible expenses by the higher of two ratios: millage ratio or RWADA aid ratio. In our rural, economically disadvantaged school districts, BOCES services are vital to districts' success.