WEBUTUCK — The Board of Education will discuss the final budget package for the 2008-09 school year this Monday, April 21, at 7:30 p.m. at Webutuck High School in the library.
On April 14, the board discussed a final budget proposal. According to Board of Education President Dale Culver, the final budget being looked at for the district is $20,119,604, which will include a tax levy increase of 4.7 percent.
In March, district Superintendent Richard Johns proposed a budget that included a 5.08-percent increase.
School Business Manager Linda Peters said the budget includes many of the same cutbacks that have been talked about at previous board meetings, including the possibility of eliminating three teacher positions.
"However, due to additional aid from the state, we were able to put back into the budget funds for one teacher, a half-time nurse and a teacher’s aide," Peters said.
Culver said that the board has worked hard on the budget in the face of tough fiscal times both in the district and the state.
"We knew in a tough year we were facing a lot of variables," Culver said. "Is the board satisfied with the budget? No. Are we doing the best job we can? We’re getting close. All of us are wary of the economic shift relative to the state and national economy."
Culver said the board is being as fiscally prudent as possible while trying to keep programs in the district.
"As I’ve said time and time again, this budget is not the end of the process," he said. "We have to be creative to streamline and structure so we can maintain high quality programs while minimizing future economic burdens. We are trying to do the best we can."
Last June, district voters passed the 2007-08 budget of $19,171,904, which resulted in a tax levy increase of 4.89 percent.
