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Thursday headlines
Mar 03, 2011 6:29 am
There's a lot of school budget talk going around this week...
Budget Grade: Incomplete
Jim Planck of the Daily Mail reports that Catskill School District Board of Education President Andy Jones is now saying that the preliminary budget currently before the public and discussed in an emotional meeting on March 1 is not what the end product will be, and that the BOE does not intend to adopt it as written. The district’s preliminary budget for 2011-12 is structured, he explained, as a mandated-programs-only budget, usually termed a “bare bones” budget, in which funding for all non-mandated programs and services has been removed. Numerous speakers called the release of such figures as irresponsible on the board's part, and nothing but a "scare tactic." A second hearing on the bare bone figures has been scheduled for March 14 at 6:00 p.m.
HCSD holds first budget workshop
Daniel Wiessner of the Register-Star reports that the Hudson City School District Board of Education warned at a meeting March 1 that layoffs and steep cuts are in the cards in order to close a $3.6 million budget gap, along with increased class sizes, reduced AP classes and electives, and cuts to music and art classes.
Kingston school tax levy hike up 10.8% in latest budget draft
Although not in our listening area, the Kingston City School Board is also wrestling with its figures, according to the Daily Freeman, working to reduce spending while maintaining enough programs to keep the district competitive for its graduating seniors looking to go on to college.
Positions clash over teacher seniority rules
Taking away the idea of experience, and years on the job, from teacher evaluations is creating friction between New York City and the state, as well as students, teachers, parents and everyone else... according to new reporting from the Times Union.
Prelim tax levy increase for NLCSD at 0 percent
Paul Crossman of the Register-Star reports that in the New Lebanon School District, the board is predicting their budget for the coming year won’t be a burden to taxpayers, the key concern from last year, while also not cutting programming in any drastic way, the chief aim for school communities this season. Their trick? They used stimulus funds for one-time-only projects and started trimming back staffing levels, and the costs of rising benefits, over the past decade.
Budget Grade: Incomplete
Jim Planck of the Daily Mail reports that Catskill School District Board of Education President Andy Jones is now saying that the preliminary budget currently before the public and discussed in an emotional meeting on March 1 is not what the end product will be, and that the BOE does not intend to adopt it as written. The district’s preliminary budget for 2011-12 is structured, he explained, as a mandated-programs-only budget, usually termed a “bare bones” budget, in which funding for all non-mandated programs and services has been removed. Numerous speakers called the release of such figures as irresponsible on the board's part, and nothing but a "scare tactic." A second hearing on the bare bone figures has been scheduled for March 14 at 6:00 p.m.
HCSD holds first budget workshop
Daniel Wiessner of the Register-Star reports that the Hudson City School District Board of Education warned at a meeting March 1 that layoffs and steep cuts are in the cards in order to close a $3.6 million budget gap, along with increased class sizes, reduced AP classes and electives, and cuts to music and art classes.
Kingston school tax levy hike up 10.8% in latest budget draft
Although not in our listening area, the Kingston City School Board is also wrestling with its figures, according to the Daily Freeman, working to reduce spending while maintaining enough programs to keep the district competitive for its graduating seniors looking to go on to college.
Positions clash over teacher seniority rules
Taking away the idea of experience, and years on the job, from teacher evaluations is creating friction between New York City and the state, as well as students, teachers, parents and everyone else... according to new reporting from the Times Union.
Prelim tax levy increase for NLCSD at 0 percent
Paul Crossman of the Register-Star reports that in the New Lebanon School District, the board is predicting their budget for the coming year won’t be a burden to taxpayers, the key concern from last year, while also not cutting programming in any drastic way, the chief aim for school communities this season. Their trick? They used stimulus funds for one-time-only projects and started trimming back staffing levels, and the costs of rising benefits, over the past decade.