District residents will head to the polls on May 20 to vote
on a proposed $41,898,477 budget.
The RCS Board of Education approved a final version of the
budget proposal during a meeting Monday. Residents can attend a
public hearing on the budget proposal on May 12 at 7p.m. in the
high school library media center.
The budget would increase spending by 2.17 percent and the tax
levy by 2.64 percent. Both represent the lowest increases in the
last five years.
Additionally, the budget proposal is significantly – at least
$320,000 – less than could result from a contingency budget.
The budget was crafted after months of work by the Board of
Education, administration and Budget Advisory Committee, which
consisted of residents, faculty and staff.
The budget would address the needs of students through several
measures, while also addressing the needs of property taxpayers
by proposing the lowest tax levy increase in years, said
Superintendent Vicki Wright.
More than $800,000 in expenses in the current year’s budget have
been cut from the proposed spending plan, including $101,000 in
natural gas and electricity costs as a result of energy
conservation initiatives.
However, the budget also reflects the reality of the
skyrocketing costs of fuel and other necessities.
The proposed 2008-09 school year budget includes a $309,000
increase – up to $589,750 – in funding for fuel to keep the
fleet of 55 buses on its daily appointed rounds. The latest
increase is more than the total fuel budget for the 2003-04
school year when RCS spent $110,000.
Health insurance is another budget impactor, with the district
budgeting for a $111,210 increase in health insurance costs next
year, up to $3.37 million, said Interim Business Administrator
Dennis Geisler.
Passage of the budget on May 20 would also fund:
·
The purchase of new computers to replace outdated computers, as
well as adaptive technology to further the education provided to
RCS’ disabled students.
·
Expansion of Project Lead the Way into eighth grade.
·
Increased textbook purchases to address new state mandates in
math and the needs of elementary students.
The budget also proposes $20,000 to purchase a state
audit-mandated inventory control system and $73,600 to replace
the radio communication system for the district fleet of buses.
The current system will no longer function this summer once
BOCES ends its service, as it is scheduled to do.
