District waiting to release tax levy increase on proposed budget

PINE PLAINS — Pine Plains Central School District Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer presented the latest draft of the district’s 2010-11 budget at the April 7 Board of Education meeting, showing a current (as of the April 7 meeting) budget-to-budget increase of 3.65 percent.

What was not clear was how the proposed budget would affect district taxpayers. Kaumeyer, reached over the phone earlier this week, said the tax levy increase percentage has not been released yet because it’s unclear what further reductions the board will make in the budget, if it will draw from the district’s appropriated fund balance to offset taxes and what the state will offer the district in terms of aid.

Those variables don’t mean an estimated tax levy increase would be impossible to calculate (the Webutuck Central School District provided that number when its superintendent made his budget presentation to the board on April 5, see article on page A4), but Kaumeyer said the district would wait to provide the public with a more accurate estimation of the tax levy increase rather than present a number that could change in a short period of time.

Technically, the tax levy is not set until August, so any numbers provided by school districts are simply their best estimates. And Pine Plains is not the only district waiting to release those numbers to the public: Hyde Park has taken a similar stance.

Kaumeyer did confirm during the telephone interview that even if the district was forced to operate under a contingency budget (which this year would be about a zero-percent budget-to-budget increase), the tax levy increase would still be about 6.5 percent using the current state aid and appropriate fund balance numbers.

To arrive at the current budget  of $27.4 million, a 3.65-percent increase from the 2009-10 year, the district had to reduce spending by $205,750 from last year. About $189,000 comes from reductions to BOCES (Board of Cooperative Education Services) programs, which Kaumeyer said was possible after evaluating the district’s needs on a student-by-student review. She stressed that enough funding was left in that line to address any new student needs as part of regular and special education services, and said that while the cuts seem significant, Pine Plains is still very committed to offering BOCES services to its students. The BOCES line in the proposed budget is roughly $2.5 million.

The biggest challenge to the district’s budget is a nearly 16-percent reduction in state aid, according to Gov. David Paterson’s executive budget; that cut amounts to about $1.1 million dollars. The reduction alone amounts to more than 4 percent of Pine Plain’s total 2009-10 budget of $26.4 million.

A significant portion of Kaumeyer’s budget presentation was spent outlining areas where spending could be decreased further. A gap-closing presentation was given with cuts outlined in two categories: first tier cuts and possible reductions in anticipation of a contingency budget.

As the superintendent outlined in her presentation, about $169,000 in cuts would be needed to reach a 3-percent budget-to-budget increase. About $223,000 in reductions would be needed to achieve a 2.8-percent increase. All first tier reductions are based around cuts to staff based on retirements.

The board would be required by law to go to a contingency budget if the district’s budget is rejected twice by voters. Kaumeyer reported that the budget would need to decrease by about $950,000 to reach a zero-percent increase.

Kaumeyer said that the options outlined to reach contingency totaled more than the amount needed, giving the Board of Education room to decide exactly where to make cuts if a contingency budget becomes necessary. Under a contingency budget, a district would not be allowed legally to purchase equipment or transfer funds for construction or repair projects, which would save the district $210,000.

Gap-closing strategies for a contingency budget run the gamut from reducing teaching staff to cutting into field trips, athletics, extracurricular activities, the weekday late bus schedule and elective courses.

“We wanted to provide the board with as many options as possible,� said Kaumeyer. “There are cuts to programs here that are not recommendations from administration, but we have been asked to provide them, particularly under the zero-percent contingency. That’s really the most difficult part.�

The board met last night, April 14, for a special budget workshop, after this issue’s deadline. Kaumeyer said she wasn’t sure if tax levy increase numbers would be available then. At the next official board meeting, to be held Tuesday, April 20, the superintendent said she assumed the board would adopt a budget at that meeting for taxpayer approval and that tax levy estimations would most likely be released by that time.

“We’re facing some of the same pressures that other districts do,� Kaumeyer added. “But because of the long-term planning, although the proposed cuts are serious, some of the benefits of long-term planning on revenue and expenditures are helping to somewhat moderate the degree of reductions that might be necessary. However, that does not take away from the seriousness of the situation.�

Latest News

A scenic 32-mile loop through Litchfield County

Whenever I need to get a quick but scenic bicycle ride but don’t have time to organize a group ride that involves driving to a meeting point, I just turn right out of my driveway. That begins a 32-mile loop through some of the prettiest scenery in northern Litchfield County.

I ride south on Undermountain Road (Route 41 South) into Salisbury and turn right on Main Street (Route 44 West). If I’m meeting friends, we gather at the parking area on the west side of Salisbury Town Hall where parking is never a problem.

Keep ReadingShow less
Biking Ancramdale to Copake

This is a lovely ride that loops from Ancramdale north to Copake and back. At just over 23 miles and about 1,300 feet of elevation gain, it’s a perfect route for intermediate recreational riders and takes about two hours to complete. It’s entirely on quiet roads with little traffic, winding through rolling hills, open countryside, picturesque farms and several lakes.

Along the way, you’ll pass a couple of farmstands that are worth a quick visit. There is only one hill that might be described as steep, but it is quite short — probably less than a quarter-mile.

Keep ReadingShow less
Taking on Tanglewood

Aerial view of The Shed at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass.

Provided

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for symphonic music this summer at Tanglewood in Lenox, Massachusetts. Here are a few highlights from the classical programming.

Saturday, July 5: Shed Opening Night at 8 p.m. Andris Nelsons conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra as Daniil Trifonov plays piano in an All-Rachmaninoff program. The Piano Concerto No. 3 was completed in 1909 and was written specifically to be debuted in the composer’s American tour, at another time of unrest and upheaval in Russia. Trifonev is well-equipped to take on what is considered among the most technically difficult piano pieces. This program also includes Symphonic Dances, a work encapsulating many ideas and much nostalgia.

Keep ReadingShow less
James H. Fox

SHARON — James H. Fox, resident of Sharon, passed away on May 30, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital.

Born in New York, New York, to Herbert Fox and Margaret Moser, James grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. He spent his summers in Gaylordsville, Connecticut, where he developed a deep connection to the community.

Keep ReadingShow less