RCS hopeful legislative budget would reverse former Gov.’s proposal

RCS school officials hope state lawmakers realize the pressure school districts are feeling from everyday increases in costs – such as fuel and electricity – and propose a more realistic increase in state aid.  

Former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s proposed budget would have amounted to a $535,862 increase in state aid over this year’s aid level – which amounts to a little more than the district is projected to spend on fuel ($400,000) for its fleet of buses.

Noting that schools have only two primary sources of funding – state aid and property taxes – Superintendent Vicki Wright said state aid should reflect the real pressures schools are facing to address cost increases.

Wright said the legislature would help RCS tremendously if it reversed the executive proposal to slash aid for the district’s use of BOCES serves. The proposal would result in an $87,000 loss in aid to RCS.

“The use of a service that distributes the costs among numerous schools – which is the way BOCES operates – should be rewarded, not punished,” said Superintendent Wright.

Additionally, Wright said an unfunded mandate by Spitzer to require 12 weeks of paid leave for school employees would have a significant impact on school property taxpayers. RCS has approximately 500 full time employees – 240 of which are teachers - and the mandate would not only impact the district through the paying of their salaries, but in most instances in the cost of hiring a substitute worker.  

The RCS Board of Education is in the midst of reviewing a draft 2008-09 school year budget proposal put forth by Superintendent Wright last month. The draft proposal would increase district spending by 1.9 percent. The proposal is likely to change. Just how that increase would impact taxpayers is not yet known because there are too many questions about the state budget at this time, Wright said.