COXSACKIE — The Coxsackie-Athens Central school board approved its proposed $36,999,000 budget for the 2024-25 school year and the spending plan will go to a public hearing May 7 before voters head to the polls May 21 for the final say.
The proposed budget has an increase of $969,000 over the 2023-24 school year allocation, or a spending hike of 2.69%.
State aid has increased $12,626 from last year’s budget. The tax levy will increase of $540,476 is equal to the tax levy cap of 2.73%. The appropriated fund balance remained the same, at $1,775,000, to offset the tax levy.
Superintendent of Schools Randall Squier said the proposed fund balance of $1,775,000, is 4.7% of the general fund balance.
Administrative costs include expenditures for the Board of Education, central administration, the business office, supervision of regular school and benefits for all associated employees. Also included is the district’s share of BOCES administrative costs.
Under the program component of the spending package includes instructional services, extracurricular activities and interscholastic athletics, transportation and special education services. Benefits for all associated employees are also included in this component.
Lastly, capital spending reflects expenses for operating and maintaining the district facilities, including salaries and benefits, along with principal and interest payments on construction bonds and bond anticipation notes.
The district will be cutting six positions through attrition, in addition to cutting two personnel position, but adding one position. The budget reflects the preservation of all sports and extracurricular activities.
“The district will be cutting through attrition on administrative position, one clerical position, one custodial position and three teacher positions,” according to the district’s May newsletter. “Other personnel cuts include one additional teacher position and one tech services position. For next year, the district will be adding from this year’s budget one special education teacher to allow us to serve more students with disabilities at C-A, instead of more costly outside placements. This budget proposal preserves all sports and extracurricular programs.”
The cuts will help the district save money, Squier said.
“We are eliminating the assistant superintendent of instruction position and the classroom teachers retiring will be replaced with existing remediation teachers,” Squier said in an email. “In total,l the estimated budgetary savings to positions either cut or eliminated due to attrition, will save the district approximately $619,000.”
The cuts will adjust classroom sizes, electives and academic programs, according to the budget.
Classroom sizes for both elementary schools will be 15 to 18 students, for reading in kindergarten through sixth grade. There will be six teachers left from the current eight teaching positions, and for the seventh through 12th grade English department, five electives will be eliminated.
“The current classroom sizes are the same as planned for next year,” he added. “Electives in media will be eliminated but they will go on a multiyear rotating schedule instead of being offered every year.”
Squier said the budget will help the district in the future.
“This budget proposal allows us to continue to help students reach our 2030 destination and support every child, every day,” Squier said. “At the same time, the budget is designed to minimize future cuts to programs, as we anticipate smaller or no increases in state aid in the upcoming fiscal years. We are mindful that it is important for us to present a budget that balances our responsibility to provide a sound education for the children in our community and our residents’ ability to afford it.”
The administration will organize staff assignments to minimize the impact, he added.
The district plans to refurbish parts of the high school and middle school gymnasiums, as part of the capital component to the budget.
Originally, the district hoped for the removal of six basketball hoops and replacements, the removal and installation of wall padding, the replacement of both scoreboards in the high school gym, replacement of the sound system in the middle school gym, removal of the divider doors in the high school gym, replating and running the existing electrical, and replacing the bleachers for a total of $191,416.66.
However, the district approved the plan for everything, except the replacement of the bleachers, at a final cost of $109,961.96, with using $10,000 in expenditure funding.
“The bleachers are not part of the capital outlay project for next year, as the cost would be too great, and preventative to getting other items done,” Squier explained in an email.
“Capital outlay exceptions, allow for building aid (71% for Coxsackie-Athens) for up to $100,000 of capital project expenses,” he said. With the given project proposed, we could potentially exceed $100,000. The amounts exceeding $100,000 would not be eligible for the District’s 71% building aid.”
If the budget is defeated May 21, the board can either put the same or an adjusted budget up for another vote June 18 or it can adopt a contingency budget. The defeat of a second budget the board would then adopt a contingency budget.
A contingency budget would require noncontingent expenditures be removed from the proposed budget, which total $394,998.27. In addition, outside organizations would be charged for using district buildings, and the tax levy could not be higher than the current year’s tax levy and require a reduction to the spending package of $145,477.73.
According to the New York State School Boards Association, a contingency budget funds only teachers’ salaries and those items the board determines to be “ordinary contingent expenses.” Ordinary contingent expenses have been defined under law to include legal obligations; expenditures specifically authorized by statute; and other items necessary to maintain the educational program, preserve property and ensure the health and safety of the students and staff.
The expenses that do not constitute as ordinary contingent expenses include new equipment, the public use of the buildings and grounds, except where there is no cost to the district, nonessential maintenance, and consultant services to review district operations.
For more information on the budget or to share comments and concerns the board of education will be holding a budget public hearing on May 7 at both Edward J. Arthur Elementary school, 51 Third St., Athens, at 7 p.m. or at the Coxsackie cafetorium, 24 Sunset Blvd., Coxsackie, at 6 p.m.
The final budget vote will be May 21 from 1-9 p.m.