X

Ogdensburg City School Board approves $42.8 million spending plan without staff, program cuts

Posted 4/6/16

By JIMMY LAWTON OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg City School’s Board of Education passed a $42.8 million spending plan Monday that raises the levy by $107,862 and maintains current staffing and program …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Ogdensburg City School Board approves $42.8 million spending plan without staff, program cuts

Posted

By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg City School’s Board of Education passed a $42.8 million spending plan Monday that raises the levy by $107,862 and maintains current staffing and program levels.

The proposal raises total spending by $900,000 or about 2.15 percent, and revenues by $592,726.

The tax levy would increase by $107,862, which would bring the city in just under the 1.12 percent state imposed tax cap.

Superintendent Timothy Vernsey says salary contracts, health insurance and the need for a new zamboni and band uniforms are all factored in to the $900,000 increase.

Health care increases account for $522,000. The zamboni purchase is expected to cost more than $100,000 and band uniforms are estimated at $50,000.Vernsey said that fundraising and other potential revenue sources could help offset the cost of uniforms.

Vernsey said the school district is also contributing $2.2 million in fund balance to help stay below the tax cap.

Vernsey said Ogdensburg received only a modest increase in funding under the final budget.

Ogdensburg City School District is eligible for a total of $27.7 million in state aid, an increase of about $326,654, or 1.2 percent more in than the previous school year. Operational aid increased $604,777, or 2.7 percent. The district will receive $18.3 million in Foundation aid and a $10,564 restoration eliminated the GEA for the district.

Although the state-spending plan raised education spending by $10.3 million in St. Lawrence County, Vernsey say Ogdensburg only received about $25,000 more in aid than had been proposed by the governor in January.

Vernsey said his figures do not include a $126,942 Community Schools Aid allotment. Although Community Schools Aid was rolled into Foundation aid, it is not clear what, if any, restrictions that funding may have attached to it.

“This again brings attention to needed changes in the Foundation Aid Formula going forward. We will continue to work with our state representatives on these needed adjustments,” Vernsey said.

He said the budget would doesn’t include cuts to staff or programs and also stays within the state’s cap, which is refreshing compared to recent years.