Residents will head to the polls on May 19 to vote on the Scotia-Glenville School District’s proposed $46.65 million budget and two building propositions.

The proposed $46,651,381 budget reflects an increase of 1.73 percent from this year’s spending plan. The tax rate would drop about 0.5 percent. The final rate will be set later this year but the average homeowner with a house assessed at $160,000 would pay about $3,211 in taxes before any STAR reductions — down $21 from this year.

Scotia-Glenville district spokesman Robert Hanlon said the district’s 2009-2010 expenses were $2 million higher than the current year with increases in salaries and benefits. The budget would have been higher but the Board of Education trimmed $1.3 million.

The district is cutting five positions. It will not replace two retiring elementary teachers at Glen-Worden and Glendaal. Hanlon said there were three sections of third grade with 16 or 17 students each at Glendaal. They will be combined into two fourth-grade sections of 25 students each. Also, Glen-Worden’s two current second-grade sections will become two third-grade sections of 24 and 25 students each.

The district will also cut parttime positions in English, science, mathematics, social studies, foreign language and art. It is also shifting positions around, including moving a physical education teacher from the middle school to the high school. The Board of Education also reduced funding for supplies, professional development programs, field trips, technology and academic contests.

Scotia-Glenville used stimulus money to avoid other cuts to positions and programs, which lowered the tax rate.
“The stimulus money came through that allowed us to supplant the salaries of three teachers,” Hanlon said.
The teachers were in the area of special education and academic intervention services.

BUILDING PROPOSITIONS
Residents will also vote on two building propositions. The first one would cost $9,317,000 and would replace roofs at all elementary schools but Glendaal, as well as the middle school and bus garage roofs. It would also replace the deteriorated six-lane track with one the same size, replace the boiler and water heater at Glendaal, upgrade the district’s more than 10-year-old technology server and replace the public address system and clocks at all six schools.

The other proposition would cost $2,575,000 and it would renovate and enclose the current middle school library and add a corridor around it. This project is contingent on voters approving the larger building project.
The district is using a state Expanding our Children’s Education and Learning (EXCEL) grant, as well as $450,000 from its debt reserve account and $150,000 in savings from the Glendaal roof project to pay for this project.

This is a scaled-down version of a project voters had rejected last December.

In addition, another proposition would allow the district to purchase five 65-passenger school buses at a cost of $475,000.

Also, current board Vice President Gary Normington and John Yagielski are running unopposed for re-election for second three year terms.