Schools

Beacon School Board Update May 2008

By Bill Zopf ⋅ May 12, 2008 ⋅  Email this post ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

We are nearing the end of the school year, so this means one last round of concerts, honor society inductions, moving up ceremonies and special events for our seniors leading up to their graduation. We also have votes for the school budget, the purchase of replacement vehicles and to fill the open seats for the Board of Education.

May 20 Vote

On Tuesday May 20, all registered voters in the school district will have the opportunity to vote on the school district’s general budget for the 2008-2009 school year. It is very important that everyone votes.

The proposed budget maintains the existing academic programs as well as making some important additions which will benefit all students:

The administration has been very conservative in keeping costs under control and producing a budget which limits new spending.

The administration has been very conservative in keeping costs under control and producing a budget which limits new spending. The increase in the amount of money to be collected from taxes is budgeted as a 3.94% increase which is one of the lowest increases in Dutchess County. This tax levy increase translates into a 39-40 cents increase per thousand of assessed value for the individual tax payers. Compare this to last year’s tax levy increase which was budgeted as a 3.93% increase, but in actuality turned into a smaller 2.04% increase due to late reported revenues from the state as well as higher than expected interest income.

The improvements to the academic program come at a very modest cost of $170,000 or a 0.64% increase to the tax levy. Most of the budget increase is due to items such as utility costs, salaries, benefits, and special education which are fixed and will not change if the budget is defeated. Only discretionary items such as the new academic enhancements, sports, field trips, and public use of the buildings and athletic fields can be considered for removal if the budget is defeated.

In addition to the vote on the budget, there is also a referendum for purchasing replacement transportation vehicles. The school district looks to replace a few high mileage buses every year rather than waiting for the entire fleet to need replacement at once. Under state law and board policy we are required to transport all students who live within a certain distance of their school. Last year the bus purchase referendum was defeated, which meant that rather than purchasing the buses we had to lease them. Unfortunately, leasing the buses is more expensive than purchasing the buses because we get 66% of a bus purchase refunded from the state and no refunds when we lease. So please keep in mind that defeating the referendum will ultimately lead to higher transportation costs. This year we would like to purchase two large buses, and 2 regular vans. The vans can be used on long runs where only a couple of students are transported as this is more efficient than using a bus. The purchase of the new transportation vehicles will result in a 0.2% increase to the tax levy.

There will also be three open seats on the school board and there are three candidates running to fill these seats. The candidates are current board members Alyson Chugerman and Larry Cohen and new-comer Jennifer Kurtz who resides in the Glenham Elementary school portion of the district. Michael Riehl who has been a board member for 16 years has decided to retire from the board. With his knowledge of school district financing and his membership on the Dutchess BOCES board, he has been a very valuable member of the Beacon school board and his expertise will be missed.

The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.. If you live in the City of Beacon you vote at Beacon High School. If you live in the Town of Wappinger you vote at the old Chelsea Fire House. If you live in the Town of Fishkill you vote at either the Bus Garage on 9D by the stadium or Glenham Elementary School. If you have any questions regarding the polling locations please call the district clerk, Margie Flynn at 838-6900 X2017. Please come out and vote. It is a privilege to do so and the more people who vote, the more feedback the school district receives.

New Superintendent
As had been previously reported, Dr. Parr will be retiring at the end of the school year and a search committee has been diligently working to find a new superintendent. The committee has selected Dr. Fern Aefsky to become the next leader of the district and she has accepted our offer. Dr. Aefsky is currently the superintendent of the City of Hudson school district where she has worked for the last two years. Before this position she was an assistant superintendent in the City of Poughkeepsie for three years, and a Director of Special Education in Mamaroneck for three years. Dr. Aefsky met the criteria established by the search committee based on input from the school board and the public. In addition she has experience in administering small city school districts which was an important consideration. We look forward to working with Dr. Aefsky and we are sure you will have many opportunities to meet and welcome her to our district.

Thanks to Dr. Parr for her dedication and professionalism. She has worked long hours to improve academics and communications with the public.

Thanks to Dr. Parr for her dedication and professionalism. She has worked long hours to improve academics and communications with the public. She leaves the district in good shape for the incoming superintendent. On behalf of the board, I wish her a long and happy retirement.

If you have any suggestions for future columns you may e-mail me at bzopf.bcsd@gmail.com.

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