CATSKILL – The Board of Education will hold a public hearing on its proposed $49,4 million 2024-25 school budget that includes the elimination of 16 district positions and no tax increase.
The proposed budget is down $457,637, or 0.917%, from last year's spending plan and reflects the use of over $3 million from the district's fund balance, as well as state and federal aid to reduce year-to-year cost increases and hold the school tax rate flat.
"For the proposed budget, we allocated $3,438,121 in fund balance, which is $138,301 less than we allocated for the 2023-24 budget," Superintendent of Schools Dan Wilson said in an email. "The amount of fund balance that we have is calculated at the end of the school year."
Additional savings came from eliminating 16 positions through attrition, as well as restructuring positions within the district, totaling $1,310,305 in savings, Wilson said.
The 16 eliminated positions include two administrators, one in the central office and one principal, three elementary education teachers, one special education teacher, one secondary science teacher, two secondary response to intervention teachers, four teaching assistants, a maintenance mechanic, a cleaner and an aide.
In the 2023-24 school year, the district had an assistant superintendent for pupil personnel services, and an assistant superintendent for instruction and a school business official. Under the assistant superintendent for pupil personnel services, there’s a coordinator for special education and underneath the assistant superintendent for instruction, there’s principals and vice principal for each building.
In the district's organizational chart for the 2024-25 school year, includes the new a director of physical education, health and athletics, while it does not include a coordinator for special education, or assistant principals for the high school or middle school.
Wilson did not respond to questions about district position changes.
"In developing the budget we are mindful to meet the needs of our students and remain sensitive to our taxpayers," Wilson explained in an email. "Our goal is always to get the best bang for the buck and provide a great school for our community. For example, this year's budget continues to support all the quality opportunities we currently offer our students, has no layoffs, and requires zero tax increase, which is something we are very pleased to be able to offer our residents. Any position reductions we were able to achieve by not filling certain positions that became vacant due to retirements or resignations."
According to Wilson, the biggest change from last year's to the proposed budget is the school tax rate will not increase.
The Catskill Board of Education adopted the budget proposal at its meeting April 23 meeting.
The school board election will be held from 1-9 p.m. May 21 in the Catskill High School gymnasium
The public hearing on the budget will begin at 6 p.m.