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First Cleve Hill glance has 5.3% budget hike
 | | TRAILING A BLAZE...Rescue firefighters evaluate a fire that was extinguished inside a trailer Tuesday afternoon at VP Supply Corporation at 2240 Harlem Road. The Times will have more information on the blaze in its March 22 issue. (Times photo) |
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With still no official word about potential revenue increases in state aid that may result when the New York State budget is adopted, the Cleveland Hill School District presented an initial expenditures plan for the 2007-08 school year featuring a 5.3 percent hike in spending.
The plan proposes a 2.6 percent increase in the combined costs of transportation for all students, employee benefits such as retirement, social security and medical insurance and instructional equipment, materials and supplies.
It also includes hikes of 1.71 percent for additional personnel and contractual salary; .79 percent for general support and .75 percent for computer-assisted instruction.
The district does anticipate seeing a .55 percent decrease in costs for BOCES programs and debt services, according to Cleveland Hill Business Administrator Kevin Ziemba.
Ziemba said most of the increases are due to continually rising costs of energy such as natural gas and electricity and contractual costs and obligations for staff. He also noted other areas that will affect this year's budget include an additional $15,000 for staff development programs, increased payments for charter schools and tuition for alternative programs for students with special needs plus improvements to the district's computer labs.
Superintendent of Schools Bruce Inglis noted that even with the increased closings of local parochial schools, the district and its transportation program will not be affected. He said only a few students from parochial schools have inquired about attending Cleveland Hill next year and that the 15-mile transportation rule will remain for any child within the district no matter where he or she attends school. The deadline for private school transportation scheduling is April 1.
Inglis admitted that the budget has been affected by unanticipated educational costs for preschool children entering the district, then being placed elsewhere by the courts. He noted that he has bills totaling nearly $60,000 still sitting on his desk for three students in these types of situations.
The district is going forward full force with its budget process despite rumors from Albany that the Cleveland Hill District, along with Sloan and Buffalo Schools, will be affected by state aid increases that will be tied in with a contract for accountability.
Inglis said he believes the contract may measure the progress of district's assessment test scores and dropout and graduation rates and create a new level of anticipated student achievement within each district.
He said it has been discussed that if certain improvements have not been made within four years, legislation will be initiated which will allow the removal of that district's superintendent and possibly others in leadership positions.
"I'm not sure how this will all be tied together and what they'll use as a baseline measure for the improve- ments that need to be made," Inglis said. "This is all unchartered waters."
While next year's budget may already be set before contracts with the New York State Education Department are signed, Ziemba said he feels accountability standards will already start to be in place by the 2007-08 school year.
"I don't know how they can hold us accountable until we get the opportunity to spend that money," Board President Robert Polino said.
"It just amazes me that we're confronted every year with the same challenge of guessing what we're going to get from the state," Board Vice President Thomas Kulaszewski added.
Ziemba noted that the proposed preliminary budget will require tightening after further discussion with administrators. He hopes amendments made will provide the board with a better perspective of the budget at the next meeting on March 21.
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