SCOTIA — Voters in the Scotia-Glenville Central School District will decide the fate of a proposed $65 million spending plan that would maintain all current services during a May budget vote.
Spending under the proposed budget would increase by $2.1 million, or 3.38%, compared to the current $62.9 million spending plan. The district’s tax levy would grow by $919,347 to $33.4 million, an increase of 2.83% — just under the district’s 2.86% tax cap.
The Board of Education adopted the proposed spending plan for the 2024-25 academic year this week, following weeks of discussions on how to reduce spending to stay under the state’s property tax cap.
The tax rate under the proposed spending plan would increase to $24.94 per $1,000 of assessed property value. A property with an assessed value of $160,000 would have a school tax bill of $3,990.90, a $109.84 increase from the current bill, according to an estimate from the district. Those with an assessed value of $200,000 would see a tax bill of $4,988.62, a $137.30 increase.
State aid under the proposal is projected to be $24.7 million, an increase of 2.22% from the current operating budget. State aid represents about 38% of total revenue for the district, according to the proposed spending plan.
The district would also use $4.1 million in reserves to balance the budget, representing an increase of just over $100,000 compared to the current budget.
An initial draft of the budget proposed increasing spending to $65.6 million, which would have exceeded the tax cap by more than $700,000 and required 60% of voters to support the proposal in order to pass under state law. A budget that remains at or below the spending cap requires a simple majority vote to pass.
Under the plan, the district would eliminate several vacant positions, including a high school special education teacher, a general education teacher at the elementary level and three teaching assistant positions.
The district would also restructure its special education program to add two teaching assistants and reduce 2.67 teaching aides.
The changes are not expected to impact classroom size, which is expected to remain below the district’s recommended levels. A total of 2,227 students are projected to enroll in Scotia-Glenville schools next academic year and all other programs, including the school resource officers and mental health supports, will remain in place under the proposed spending plan.
“There are no reductions in this budget that are going to impact programs for next year,” said Superintendent Susan Swartz.
A district-wide referendum on the proposed spending plan will take place on May 21.