001Uh, proposed budget. Just to go over really quickly, one of the pieces that we do at the start of, um, it actually starts in the fall, late fall, In November, uh, we start doing our next year's budget just a few months into the school year. It seems like we just close up one budget, and we get the school year started, and then we start working on the next year's budget. Um, and uh, what we focus on when we build the budget is we focus on our, um, mission. And on the Central Community Challenges individuals to reach their maximum potential. prides itself on success and prepares contributing citizens for life. We have, uh, 3 strategic goals that we've had in place for many years. Student achievement, Uh, parent, school, and community partnership. engaging and engaging in
002a learning environment, all that's focused around OCS, uh, Tiger Pride, With co-curriculars, academics, communication, Community involvement, security and technology, facilities and transportation. And each of those with Student Achievement, OCS will have in place the necessary resources So that all the pre-K through 12 students can be proficient in all curricular areas, as measured by state, local, informative, and summative assessments, And an implementing service learning for all students. This valuable learning environment, our students will learn in an environment… environments that are safe and respectful, engaging and encourage individual strengths. We will continue to leverage technology tools to enhance learning, And communication, and uh… a fiscally responsible manner. Parent, school, and community partnership. Um, another important piece, few CSM participate in goal-oriented activities. at all age level, all grade levels, linked. to student achievement and school success. our
003vision, Onondaga Central School District is committed to educating all students In a safe and healthy environment, setting high standards and expectations, For my numbers of memory community. School staff, students, parents, Board of Education, and community shared this responsibility for this initiative. Uh, one of the things we started to do when I said we started this budget process in the fall, and then as we get right into meetings, is our first meeting on enlargement actually starts in the first board meeting in February. So this is our seventh presentation on the board, so as, as… we go through this in between now and the budget vote. If you have questions, reach out to us at the end of the presentation. Or reach out to us on our webpage, here's every presentation that we've done since the beginning
004of February, and you can see the budget development as it happens and goes through. As well as all the board meetings are recorded. Um, uh, as well there, too, to listen to. Um, so our priorities for 2627 aren't much different than they've been from other years. We're focusing on school safety and security, maintaining educational programs, enrollment trends, and AIS, ELL, you know, special education or alternative education programs, retaining and recruiting and developing staff, technology, about 8 years ago now, when, uh, or 10 years ago now, we started to, uh, work in one-on computing. And that's a big part of our budget. As, um, that we build in replacement computers and replacement computer technologies each year, and a commitment to small class sizes, Maintaining the ability to handle fiscal stress, And we'll talk about that a
005little bit more in detail. Um, we have a slide laid out in there that, um, will show what we look at using for fund balance and reserve. how we maintain our reserves, as well as what our, um, historical tax rates have been. account for annual bus purchase, and account for federal and, uh… state mandates. Budget, uh, development, uh, factors continued. Student enrollment, is, uh, the big driving force that drives our foundation in, and what we've seen in the past few years is a declining enrollment, um, which has been the most mess. It's not, and we're not alone in the declining enrollment. School districts across Central New York have all saw a decline in enrollment. Um, so we're making adjustments as, uh… We haven't been for nearly a year. individualized, um, individuals with disability, the ID
006type EPA Act, state and federal mandates, Um, uh, every student succeed at is still here, there's still pieces of that. English as the second language learners. Staffing and retention, we do have some openings this year. We're in the current process of hiring and interviewing. So we're well into that process. Um, medical wage increases. It's a piece that's not talked about a lot, but over the past… I've gone… actually, my… every year that I Um, we've felt the changes in the compressions within salaries based upon the increase of the minimum wage. Which then, you increase the minimum wage, which we have positions that are at that rate. And then we see a compression that the positions that have a higher grade, so the adjustment then trickles up. Um, uh, district technology needs, as I mentioned. New
007York State School Aid, which is Joe is going to get into on the revenue side. Which is approximately 49% of our budget. And the New York State tax led you to… levied legislation to also get into. Um, as continued with some budget development factors. Um, and these are, uh, interesting pieces, because we don't really have much control over these. TRS and ERS is sent by the state. Those are the numbers that they give us in terms of what our contributions are going to be. Add energy services, we're budgeting 20%. Um, uh, increase, as you've seen with gasoline, with, uh… electricity rates, and what we're facing, we're facing the same thing. within the school district, so we have to… we have to budget a number that we know, um, uh, we'll be able to meet those
008expenses. Healthcare, Another one of those, um, and specifically insurance, another one of those out of our control. Um, but we're looking at 10% this year, and, uh, projected out through, uh, 2031. is 10%, another 10%, 9.5%, 9.25. Um, then another 9, um, really looking at almost a 50% increase over the next 5 years. Um, and the premium that we're already paying, and that would be an increase from the employees' contribution. And for the district's contribution. Um, projected out years from last year, you can see… see those numbers there, um, uh, significantly lower. and increase, um, largely being attributed to, uh, catastrophic. claims and, uh, GLP-1s, uh… And which we have no control for that. I wish we did. Brokeley down. Um, district insurance is going to increase by, uh, 8%, inclusive of liability, workers' comp,
009And umbrella, uh, coverage as well. BOCES cost has been pretty steady from year to year. They're looking at a 3% increase, depending on the services that we purchase into. One of the pieces, um, an interesting piece about, uh, ROSI's programs. is when we purchase into those, depending on the program, we get a different, um, uh, amount of New York State aid. And on that aid, they'll generate the aid, comes in as revenue, the next year. So, if it's a brand new service, we have to foot 100% of, um, the cost. um, verbose service, and then the next year, we generate anywhere between, I think our lowest to aid ratio is around 65%, and our highest is in the mid to high 70s. Uh, for A ratio. So, essentially, it's almost… you know, three-quarters… 3 quarters
010of cents on the dollar, then we get a… Um, then enrolled trends, um, those are our most important statistics that our students. We keep looking at those, um, And, uh, with, uh, enrollment. And I don't do that. And then just, um, we have some spotlights built within the presentation that we'll get to, um, supporting our students, uh, build success for the future. Um, we're proud of the academic programs that we have, um, and the schedules that Stress Flexibility, high standards, for all children. The New York State Regents, um, uh, exam performance, Algebra True, we're very proud of this. We're proud of Olivar, but this one, 100%, and first in the county for two consecutive years. is impressive. We open… when we look at our building goals, Um, which we won't get in tonight. Well, all
011of our goals are at 100% of our students graduating. 100% of our students passing Regents exams, 3 for weight assessments, Windobos are lofty goals. But without saying 100% of our students would be graduating, we were doing our job. We understand that things come up and kids don't graduate, but our goal every year is 100%. Uh, from One student inducted into Career Technical Assistance National Honor Society, Um, we're proud of the students that are going to… the OCMOCs for the Building Trades programs and their technical areas. It's a great honor for them, and I'm glad that we're able to send them to Uh, OCS was awarded the Eureka National Safety Award. Uh, what that is, it's a self-audit that we do every year, and on that, we have to go through a rigorous criteria of answering
012questions, identifying Our safety programs and our procedures, uh, to receive this excellent reward of titanium. Uh, with honors level through 12th year now, so we're proud of that, because that takes our staff It takes the commitment from the board and the community through the budget that we build in to have those safety procedures. Um, and then, uh, the community support has always been wonderful. Um, uh, from the capital renovations that we're working on now, to, um, PTO and the Booster Club, all the organizations that help support our students in and out of the classroom. Uh, and on the athletic field. I'm gonna turn it over to Joe. Okay, so one of the budget requirements is to demonstrate the budget into the three components, the administrative component, the program component, and the capital component. Uh, the
013administrative component is inclusive of Board of Education and District Office, Central Administration, Business Office, Um, legal… any administration that supervises over 50% of their time, so it's a big part of the budget as well. The program component is anything directly related to instruction, um, instead of extracurricular activities, athletics, and everything in between. Um, and in the capital component to own it is mostly debt service, and the facilities are the maintenance and buildings and grounds in our buildings are running across all three of those components is the benefits, and it gets distributed based on salary, so if 70% of our salary is engaged in the program, then 77% of the benefits is also distributed to the same project. There's… Yep. to every budget, you have an expense side and a revenue side. This is the expense
014side of the budget, and those are the components that I understand it's definitely going to be hard for you guys to see, as I can't waste this myself. Uh, then I just mentioned for, um, the different parts of the budget. So, as I mentioned, Board of Education and Central Administration, funding is just kind of grouped together. Um, they're all the different budget codes. They have last year's adopted budget that we're currently living in. The proposed budget is in the second column. The difference is in the third. Um, I would want to point out the bottom. be 1.55% budget to budget increase. Uh, most of that is actually in debt service, which is part of our… Uh, capital projects at the way we get aided back is a big portion of that. Um, this was kind
015of made possible with the planning of the district over the last couple years, looking at these retirement incentives, and how we capitalize on savings and staff, making sure that our staff is allocated to the greatest community in the district based on involvement Trends. to our students. The other side of any budget, the revenues. So, our four revenue buckets are state aid, which is the greatest part of our budget, it's 49% of the budget, local taxes, uh, making a 42%. Other, um, that kind of miscellaneous revenue, um, one of our biggest sources there has been interest. We've been really fortunate with interest rates within my class. Um, those investments have really helped the district to take a lot of part of the possible impact of the local share, and to be able to absorb some of
016it back into continuing to invest with our reserves. Um, and then lastly, our reserve and appropriated fundamentals reserve plan. Um, looking at what a couple years looks like, so 24-25, 25, 26, 26, 27. So that book's part there being relatively stable. Uh, we're trending. You look at all the way across that property taxes from 2021, um, are 45% of the budget, down to 32% in the proposed budget for 26-27. Where state aid has actually been increasing, um, so our reliance on state aid is significant, and if there were changes in Albany, they would have a greater impact on a district like Onondaga, being that we are a smaller community. We have one of the, you know, I think smaller budgets, and we'll see our most successful districts. what we don't have right now is the
017finance period, so… The governor's budget was due to us April 1st, and here we are in May, and not an end in sight, so what we have to work off of, those numbers come from the November database. the highlight to that would be the top right corner, um, Doc Essential is set to receive $73,000, and foundation aid. Um, it's 1%. The reason why we're getting 1% is if you let the foundation aid formula run, We're actually supposed to get less than we got last year. So, you're a harmless district. Most of the districts at OCMOCs are in their boat. Um, one of the governor's proposals a year or two ago was to look at any district that was full departments and actually cut that funding. So right now, we're receiving $73,000 for that $73,000 has
018been working with the formula the same, so if it's the other focus of the governor, something is looked at in the years to come. They could be, we gave it to you, you actually don't deserve it based on enrollment, and we're gonna cut $350,000. So, it's something that we know that that had better proposed from the current administration, so something we want to keep an eye on. And one of the proposals we have heard, I think has some momentum, is doubling that 1%, 12%, which would be great next year, but would really hurt years to come, because that then becomes $150,000, and it actually ends up putting us, like, $350,000. Um, we talked about the reserve in, uh, fund balance plan. It's kind of one of our buckets in the budget. Um, what we've been
019working hard to do this year is try to break down that reliance once fund balance starts to be used, if we're re-equating this to our everyday life. It'd be like using your savings account. So, if you're balancing your budget and saying, I need to get gas and groceries out of savings, eventually that goes away. And then where are you going to turn? So, if you're trying to keep that as flat as possible, and know that that'll help us with our planning of how we get funded and when it flows, so it's unlocking funding to use during the summer months before taxes start to flow. Back over here. Thanks, Joe. Supporting our students and to build success for the future, another spotlight on the Tiger Bride, Rockwell Elementary School. Um, research academic programs. We just purchased
020a new math program. in, um, grades K through to 5. And that's been going, um, very well. It's first year of implementation. purchased that last year. In this current operating budget. Literacy Instruction aligns with science reading. One of the things that we are proud of… As our literacy instruction was aligned to the science of reading before New York State made it a mandate. Um, that, uh, was something we were proud of, that we were already doing, um, for many years. Uh, technology education, including robotics. I'm coding it more for the Rockwell students. It's pretty interesting to watch the little ones, um, robots program to do more on them. Positivity Project at Green Shield Award for the school. is a highlight that, um, we're meeting the expectations of our Character Ed program. in such a magnificent
021manner that the company recognized us for, uh, reaching out and leading almost 24 elements that are within that Positivity Project. And you could see that on every Friday. almost every Friday, there's something connected. Um, whether it's the student of the month, student of the week, Terrific travelers, there's pieces there that we're emphasizing those good character traits, and we emphasize that in a very large classroom every Friday morning in the whole school. And anyone who wants to attend in person or online. The handling phonics Awareness Curriculum is another piece that helps us with our struggling learners. Our BOCES Planetarium Program. is a big hit, and it aligns with the New York State, uh, science and learning standards. Family outreach, community engagement, as I said, the special events, such as Game Day, Black games, concerts, family nights.
022pre-K, kindergarten orientation to screenings, those are all pieces that we do. because of the right things to do, and it's also your community values that we try to strive to do the best job at. Morning program, as I mentioned, special guests. I guess I was on, um, Facebook, um, I was the world leader last, uh, Friday. That was a lot of fun. I snuck in at the end of a lot of the character traits from, uh, P2 as well. Um, is to take a line with it. Citizens Break, as I mentioned, weekly positivity Project presentations and Student Awards. are just a few of the things that we're following that rock biology to an extent. supporting students, uh, our students who are building success, highlight some, uh, thesis building older elementary. Um, uh, we're really proud
023of the work you're doing in providing academic and socially emotional support to students. Celebration, again, our students with the P2 and Academic Awards. concerts to talent shows, if, uh, we just seen the last talent show, that was pretty cute. In my opinion, um, the kids are amazing. academic programs as well during the school day we've had end-of-the-year activities. And then continued development of online learning resources, digital literacy, Um, at the elementary level. Uh, the digital literacy is here to stay. I don't think we're going to ever see the internet go away, um, so we're helping our students beyond navigating, um, the online curriculum, but also navigating the important pieces of what dangers exist online. 10 students qualify for NSMA this year, which we're very proud of, and we're looking forward to hearing how they do.
024educational programs and partnerships, Molloy College, um, the Erie 21 as a STEM program focused around Um, science, math, technology, and engineering. Um, OCC Day… Um, Mr. Schwatson has done a great job building a new partnership with OCC. Um, uh, where we took students up there to visit for a day. Um, is she a basketball league and also split them up on a college campus. Both Syracuse University Athletics, the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department, New York State Troopers Canine Unit, WSYR Meteorologist, and the Town Highway Department. Um, are just to name a few of the partners that we have to come in and help out, whether it's for Fiscal on Friday or coming into presentations. Continued on the, um, spotlight for Wheeler, for Tiger Pride, is student loans that are active at Wheeler. One of the pieces
025about our intermediate role, 3 through 6, is we have several clubs and activities that we're very proud of. that we can support, and the Learning Club, student counselor, Character Club, STEM club, Drama Club, Passport Club, the Spelldown, and Ski Club, just to name a few. And that's something that just pop up, uh, naturally with student interest that are… they're just a group of kids getting together with a teacher or staff member at the end of the day. of community engagement, Um, uh, winter and spring concerts, music festivals, talent shows, as you mentioned earlier. physically bring, um… the state project and fiscal Friday, which I already mentioned. Those partners that were on the first page, a lot of that… a lot of these partners came in in the mornings on Friday, and it's just a way
026to kick off the last day of your week. On a real positive note, and get the fans exposed to some of our community leaders and people who work in our community that serve our community. I'm going to turn it over to Joe to review the tax rate. So, as a reminder, annually every year, the district determines the levy, um, as the amount needed to balance the budget. from that number, from the levy, the tax rates are determined based on factors really out of control, out of the control of the school district. Um, if everything held the exact same in the district was a meet of a 2.5% levy increase, tax rates would all go up to 2.5%. That is what happens because of equalization rates, growth. Uh, again, factors are under the control of the
027district. So this is a look back of 11 years. Um, where our tax rate was in 2016, to where it is now, the total delta is $0.45, so an average increase of 30 cents per 1,000 annually, or 1.6 is 1.06%. Uh, during that same time, inflation rate was 25%, so the district pretty much every single year, if you're looking at your percent change in comparison to inflation, and waivers point here, where it was slightly less. Like I said at 1.5 in 2021. Other than that, the district looked really cognizant of where the economy is and where we look for inflation, and not trying to make sure that our tax rate to the best of the ability of the district. So, uh, the left-hand column there was the, uh, projected rates. That was, what, at this
028presentation, what those looked like in column 3, and then the second column is what they actually came out to be. Generally, they're going to be pretty close. There isn't often a big change between the two. Um, so, with a 2.5% increase, the town that's often circled Onondaga's 98.2% of the district. So, a 2.5% increase on the levy would equate to a 2.15% increase on the tax rate. roughly, uh… 66 cents per thousand of a subsidy. The bottom row, the full value, true, actual valuation. Every town is assessed to its full value on a dog's tax rate would be $16, and 84. So, it actually would have gone down 1% from last year. It's equalization rates continue to go down. Growth doesn't seem to increase, and they don't seem to be assessing any more value. Uh,
029so… Again, I apologize, I know those are hard to see. For the common amount of dog rings at a $50,000 assessment, a $100,000 assessment, a $150,000 assessment, And oftentimes, when I talk to, you know, friends of, you know, Workshire Hospital says that, and… it's this number, but this is actually what it is. Those numbers just… They're easy to compare to your own situation and be able to bolt out. So, although peer assessment may show this, equalization is supposed to bring you to actual value. That's where that 16 dollars would actually matter. So, although the tax rate is at $32, in actual, if fully assessed, maybe 16. Question's always get brought up, but the difficult part of reason they're 1.14%, I believe, of assessed value, and I've looked at some of those tax bills, and I'm
030like, a really… the property might be assessed for $4,800. It just isn't reflective, so equalization is supposed to be the factor that changes that. I would love if everything is assessed at 100%. It'd be a lot easier to explain, it'd be a lot easier for Jeff, but just changes every single year. push towards a magic wander, that could just happen. Um, so for the time of Onondaga, the staple's often a $100,000 home. A home assessed at $100,000, the tax increase would be estimated to be 66.89 for a $200,000 home. That would be doubled. $132 a month. Um, so, how do we compare all the superintendents in the area provided what the… Maximum tax cap they all could go to, on average. The total taxing authority of all the districts came out to be 3.3%. of
031those 23 component districts, the average of where the districts went to is 3.26. It is unusual for when we do it around the room. When people share out with their tax rate is, then it's not, we're going to the capital, we're going to the cap, we're going to the cap. On a dog is maximum tax rate, because of our capital exclusions, is 4.64%, and our proposed increase, our tax levy, would be 2.5%. So, that's… possible, I think, with, um, our fund balance reserve plan, you can have risk retirement incentive to try to reduce our spending and not try to… increased taxes, so… Um, that someday that gets brought up all the time, we're very much aware of the current state of the economy. It hurts every time I go to the gas pump, so it's
032something that I think the district has done a good job of looking at every year. And trying to maintain tax rate that stays relatively sophisticated. Thanks, Joe. I'll see you, yeah? Again, we're just another, um, spotlight on Tiger Pride, uh, and focusing on the junior-senior high school. Um, we always kick off the year, the beginning of the year, and we try to start that on a positive note with the 7th grade orientation. for some of the 7th graders coming up through Wheeler from 6th grade, some of them are a little bit nervous, some of the parents are a little bit more nervous. So we try to help them all feel welcome and at home. with our orientation and open house none. Um, it's the best way to get off, uh, the start of a new
033school year, especially when some, uh, adolescents are feeling a little jittery, or moms and dads. Um, homecoming, homecoming, we like to brag. We do the best homecoming around. Um, uh, with our parade that starts at the, uh… fire station, and then we parade up and have, uh, floats that the students put together. And sometimes our, uh, youth sports will do one, too. Um, but that's a pretty special homecoming. Um, uh, being in two different districts, um, our homecoming, uh, the other districts, I've seen or been a part of. they don't compare, so I don't think anyone does it better. Drama productions, we're very proud of the drama productions in our fine arts department. Um, with curbands in the summer community programs being implemented a few years ago, between the lines involved, and then, um, uh,
034with a great show, another great show in the spring, Cinderella. Uh, the number of students that participate in this is, uh, phenomenal. It's nowhere in the vicinity of shy of 50, sometimes it's more. And the amazing thing is, is… Um, as Abby can attest to, I'm a student board member, Um, most of those students are doing a sports same time, so just a little kudos to Ronald Drama Department, but our students who are dedicating, you know, 15, 16 hours a day, and then there's a musical, uh, Celebrating students as well at the junior high school that we like to do. Uh, periodically during the school year, and it usually coincides with our athletic schedules. Uh, Spirit Week, it doesn't just include athletics, it includes the fine arts as well. Our senior breakfast, which is coming
035up, senior walkthrough… Well, celebrating those, um, seniors graduating, introducing them, for some of them, the first time to some of our younger students and younger students to our seniors. This is where we expect you to be. Um, in the next 6 years, or in the next 11 years, if they're in kindergarten. And so, um, the prom… We're very happy that we can still host a prom, and it's a nice celebration, and… a milestone for students to be able to go out and celebrate in a safe way. National Honor Society, National Junior Honor Society, um, inductions. the character traits within the National Honor Society align right with our Positivity Project. And we're looking for young leaders, we're looking for leaders in all different ways, and that's one of their characteristics within the National Honor Society. And
036then the academic letters banquet is, um, also special in that we could recognize students just for academic excellence, and we do that annually. It's, uh, pretty special. Continue, uh, for the junior-senior high school, as, um, students competing at the, um, uh, FFA is Future Farmers of America Nationals. Um, three students were accepted into Onondaga, county senior, uh, County Corollas. 8 students qualified for junior Senior High School. 25 Scholastic athletic teams competing, um, modified tooth varsity. youth, uh, climate summit, we send students to. Um, girls gone tech at OCC with a partnership with Micron. self-convanced Bracement courses, 13 dual, um, credit courses with SUNYS, we go to Syracuse University, SUNY, because, uh, unguided community, and there Tom King's Coral Community Acknowledgement. And what this does for our students, whether they're here in our classrooms or they're
037out on the OCC campus, which they can do too, is it allows them to get a head start on, uh, college. Um, and many of our, um, students have an opportunity to graduate this semester, or even a year early. Uh, which saves them or their parents, or both, uh, a year of tuition. for changes or trajectory for, um, an advanced degree as well. So, we're really proud that when we build our budget, All of these things that we're spotlighting tonight, we're building our budget with all this and more. that we're thinking about, as well as the things that we talked about with inflation that we're facing right now. This morning before work, I filled up for gas. I think it was 4.39. So, it's gone up just within the last 5 days, and we try
038to be very conscientious about that. Um, in terms of what we're building in the project, and being fiscally responsible to the community. proposition, I'm going to summarize these, if that's okay. We've read them several times. Proposition 1 is the budget. Um, which is $27,786,773. Um, Proposition 2 is for the local library. Um, and uh, that's in the sum of $66,948, which is an increase of $1,950. And that's also, if you're not aware, there's also a larger portion of that. That goes on… West Coast part of that, and so was the question to see for the school district's support the library budget. And then there's a big proportion of our town taxes that support in this country. Proposition 3… is, um, looking at, uh, two 66, uh, passenger gasoline buses and one 30-passenger bus, with a
039total not to exceed 453 $1,500. And then, um, our composition 4, which we're going out to the community for a second time, um, is for, uh, Um, 3 electric buses, two 66-passenger buses, And 128 passenger bus, For a total of over $1.3 million. It's, uh, um, there's also, uh, grant money through NYSERD that we would qualify for, for a $714,000. Um, this is still a very significant lift. It's one of the requirements. Um, there is legislation out there, and, um, right now, within this state budget, it's, I think, 5 or 6 weeks overdue now. There's legislation that's being proposed to, uh, push the, um, electric bus, uh, legislation out 5 years. Um, we're not ready for it. Um, but we have to demonstrate to the state And the only people that can tell us whether
040we purchase gasoline or electric buses is the community. That's why we put them on as a proposition, so… We have a waiver in as well, too. Um, the legislation doesn't make it in, we're asking for a waiver to push out the purchase. from consider 27 degree to 29. But, um… I'd also highlight that one, that first line there, that proposition can't pass if the third one does automatically, it cancels the fourth proposition. It's just that we would never not want to bring forward the $714,000. But that, when we did this in December of 2024, the electric Prague was first, there was more of a pressure to do it. It seemed like everybody else is peeling off of it, so we want the opportunity for the community to really see it. But we have a third
041rock position at the gas prop passes, that automatically cannot. We verified that with our mod console, and it is not an automatic to buy either, it's just an authorization to purchase power. And with this side of the proposition, it also, um, communicates back to the state and the state elected officials what Onondaga feels is a priority, um, is it gasoline or electric vehicles at this time? So, um, I think that's always a big piece, to be able to communicate that. Uh, contingent budget, if residents go down the proposed budget, the board has 3 options to resubmit the, um, uh, uh, resubmit. Uh, to its voters, the original budget for a second vote submitted to the voters a revised budget. for remote, which typically… the message usually comes back as if it's voted down, it was
042too high. Um, I got the contingency budget, which is pretty draconian, um, in my opinion, because you strip out any purchases of equipment. Um, at field churches and stuff like that. Um, and we already have that number that's from then on our budget material. It's $285,000, roughly, that we have to take out of the current budget. importing dates, um, May 19th is our budget vote, 7am to 9pm. Uh, we're gonna be at Rockwell Elementary School in the gymnasium. We're gonna be here at the Junior Student High School, right off the library. Um, I will go over the four propositions that I just went over with you, unless you want me to. And then, um, we have, uh, Board of Education Trustee elections. with four of the five people here tonight, um, that you're going to
043be able to meet in just a minute. Any questions? Can ya? You can come up here? I have your passage to the newsletter, so… Thank you for coming in. I'm Livia. I actually am a former student of the district. I also have two small children. goals that run well. One is the room going into another. I am running for the Board of Education, because I hear that I deeply care about maintaining the strong schools. Um, I also care about supporting teachers. Um, and staff, I am also… Um, and most importantly, I want to make sure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. Especially being at Rockwell, and moving into New York. Um, this isn't just a school district to me, it's personal. this, uh, community has played such a big role. And then shaping
044who I am today. Um, but now I just have the opportunity to see it through my own children. Um, and so… Like I said, um, and I'd just be honored to serve. Um, I think we have a… you know, get back to what I said. soldiers to cared about. Great, thank you. Welcome. Ah, cool. Um, So, hi, can I use Caitlin Dawson-Brown. Um, I live here in town of Onondaga, OCS District with my husband Martin and our two children, Natalie and Delaney. They attend Rockwell, uh, Delaney's in pre-K, and Natalie is in second grade to go between Taylor. Um, so when we moved to the district, I think one of the things that struck me about OCS And really, the whole town, but particularly OCS, is how many people, like, really love and care about
045this community? Um, you know, a lot of these families, a lot of families here have been here for generations, and I feel like that speaks a lot to, like, the love that people have for OCS. Um, and that's, like, why I'm running for the Board of Education, and it feels important, um, you know, this is where my children are going to grow up. that I want to be part of this community, um, and support, um, not only my children's education, but all the children's entire districts. education. So, a little bit about me. I'm actually… originally from Connecticut. Um, but I moved up here to attend Cass College, um, Best in peace, as we move in college terms. So, I'll never forget, I was in the car with my mom, I was, like, a senior in
046high school, and we were driving, um, to go see Kaz College, And I was just struck by, like, the rolling hails of New York City, and I was like, this is, like, the most beautiful place I've ever seen in my entire life. I was like, I have to live here, you know? Um, and then, fast forward, I live on a partner road, which anybody's familiar with that. If you come over the top, and you just see this, like, beautiful vista of, like, New York's Roman counts, anyways. So I went to Cass College originally, um, to be a teacher, actually. So I started out from childhood education major, um, so I did student teaching in Syracuse school district, and I did TAing at Colonial. So I have that background. My background as a teacher. I've been
047in the classroom, I know sort of how that feels and what that looks like, and Um, I eventually switched majors to human services, because I was really drawn towards Uh, the social-emotional learning of children and mental health. Um, and then I graduated and worked in the bunch of nonprofits, um, here in Syracuse, and then eventually got my master's. at Syracuse University, um, and clinical mental health counseling. So I am a licensed mental health counselor, and I've been providing, um, counseling services to children, teens, and adults in the Syracuse area for over a decade now. So, obviously, it's, like, children, families is a huge passion of mine, it's been something I've dedicated my career to. Um, but I… it's also not going to be my first time on a Board of Education. Um, I'm currently still
048on the Value Vice Nursery School Board of Directors, if anyone's not familiar with that, it's a… Small non-profit preschool nursery school, um… in the Stratford neighborhood. Um, and I'm familiar, uh, because we're a non-profit, a very small school, I'm familiar with budgets, I'm familiar with, like, Literally making every single penny count. Um, and because we're such a small school, I've had to wear lots of different hats. One time, I… was the substitute teacher, you know, we had a ratio problem. Um, I'm an accountant, I do HR there, I mean, so… things on how schools function is something that I'm… familiar with, and I'm ready to support wherever it's needed here on the Board of Education. Um, so… Most importantly, I'm a mom, And my children's education is important, and the community that they grow up
049in is important. And although I didn't throw up here, Uh, my children are going to grow up here, and it's something that I care very deeply about. Because you really want… Not just my children, but everyone's children in the district. And this is going to be the foundation for their lives, and it's going to give them the start of their lives. And I think it's a, uh… Nothing more valuable and worthy. Um, than to… support, um, all the students and the families and the teachers. And on top of staff, so… I would be honored to be elected, um, to advocate for our children and to advocate to Jerusalend staff here, because I want everybody to feel… uh, supported and… Um, then OPS is the community partner. Tammy, um, can't make it tonight? Uh, she had
050a little bit? John Miranda? So, good evening. Um, I'm sure by having school artwork this year. Because as a parent of two children currently attending Rockwell Elementary, A family member with friends and neighbors working for the district. I want to ensure that my kids continue to receive a quality education with as many opportunities as possible. And that teachers and staff employed by this district are treated fairly effectively. Um, for those I had another pleasure of meeting for, um, let me introduce myself then. So, unlike many people I know who serve here and work in the district, I'm a transplant. Um, I was born and raised in New Jersey. I moved to New York at 18. for college, and then… I, um, moved to Navarina 10 years ago, and my husband and I booked our home,
051uh, 10 years ago. And we are now raised our two dogs there, Josephine is in first grade at a top row. And Lewis is a pre-K program this year, and I'm so excited to finally be able to ride the bus this morning. So, with being a transplant peer means that over the past 3 years, since drove speed entered the precave program, I've had the opportunity to learn what so many have done. I've known for a long time, and that's just how wonderful and supportive and special this district really is. School districts were not the biggest consideration when we brought our house, admittedly, um, but the experience that we've had the past 3 years, um, just the Rockwell Schoolhouse. three movies is free, go ahead again. And, although the district is new to me, uh, my
052husband and his family has lived in the South Island. And then just put those tariffs. Um, my kids' grandparents graduated from OCS, and they are very excited to see their kids going to the system. So, why runs for the school board? I was raised in a household that really placed a high value on the power of a good education. And it's a value that I've really, uh, carried with me throughout my adult life. I earned my bachelor's degree in anthropology from Edmonton College, and two years After graduation, I began working for the New York State Office of Children and Path Services. nearly 15 years as many roles later, I still work for the same agency, and I've spent my entire career working with two majors and their families in their central computer area. The value
053of earning a high school diploma, As the first step in setting you down for success as an adult is something that I have worked really hard to instill with the kids that I've worked with over the years. my very first position with Steve, I was working in a juvenile facility where I would accompanying the kids to school. And I would help them do their homework, I'd make sure that they attended the classes, uh, provided them with the support and encouragement to pass with regions test and work towards our technical goals. And when they were getting ready to pick the facility and return back to their home communities, I would always remind them that don't eat had to actually have attended the classes once. my career in sleep service has also prepared me for the less
054glamorous parts of serving on a school board. I am someone who is deeply rooted in policy and procedure, the background of the work that I do day in and day out. And not to mention, working for a state minimum professional at sitting for very long meetings. I think it'll serve me well. working in the field, I do seek insecurity is also something that sort of top of mind for me. So I sincerely hope it's not an experience that I ever need to draw on. for our district here, but I am a member of… beyond private accounting for an assessment, management, and Strategy team. I've worked with the school districts in the Central Park area, where their events today starts. the past centimeters. Above all else, I vlib for running for the school board is the
055same as the other candidates. And for any person after becoming a parent, right? I'm doing it for my kids. And not just my kids, but friends, classmates, my kids, kids to my neighbors, and all of the kids who are against. It's important to me that each and every kid that has to… through the walls of our school buildings, feels valued and supported and heard. And though the OCS district remains small, I've been so impressed by the breadth of What it can offer, as was demonstrated earlier by Mr. Price here, um, and I want to see that the kids just entering Rockflip now continue to have all of these opportunities that you might not expect from a district of this… state passed certain consensus, they passed, so… It's also important for me to be a ready
056and willing leader for the concerns of our parents' Jewish history. Um, and a strong champion for those who are employed by the district, ensuring that OCS is financially strong, While taking care of the children, the teachers, and other employees of the district. is my number one priority if I'm still working the best depressed. Thank you all for your time tonight, and I look forward to talking with you further. Last but not least, last but not least… My name's Pami Anderson. Um, I have a son in Venostolia is in 7th grade. Um, so I've been fortunate that he has been here since he started in kindergarten, so we've been through Hawk Rockwell, we've been through Wheelock, so I've seen the benefits that have been through all three schools. Early Intervention. Spoking easy to speak. My son
057works very hard for every single grade he gets. The resources that the school has provided for him have been phenomenal. I want to make sure that that maintains full. I think being an advocate and a voice for that, as part of the board, It's huge. So I love to participate in awards for that, making sure the students, the teachers, staff, have the access to family intervention, have the resources they need to provide that for the students. Um, small bass sizes. I didn't know if my son will walk me… walk into Rockewater when the teachers still know their names. I think that's fantastic. They don't mind. I'll say hi, Mr. Cedar again. Hi, Pam, it great, I love it. Outside of the classroom, When arrival in public, it's fantastic. I think that is one of the
058best things about this school district. I grew up in our south. I didn't have that in our schools. It's another small school. There is something special about this district. I think being on, like, award, a lot of foster that and continue to grow. Some of the great things that we have here. In addition to that, I think some of the elements from my professional career can lend to the board. very financial halfback background. I'm a CPA. Um, I was an auditor in my previous life. Sorry, gentlemen look at the market budget. Haven't done it in a while. Um, but I understand budgets. I understand forecasting, I understand financials, I understand balanced spending. I understand the tough decisions that we have to make. needs versus wants. It's not easy, it's hard. There are hard conversations, they're
059hard discussions, but they need to be had. So, I do that every day in my… every day in my professional life, I get it, happy to share my professional experiences. with the community, with the board, with the school district, they're extremely hard in conversations. I've sat in the meetings that we've had this year with the board, They've been hard discussions that you guys have had. I hate to be in your shoes for some of the choices that you've had to make and the discussions that you've had. happy to share. I hate to be up, but I'm asking to be in your chair. happy to share my experiences of what I do with my professional life. When that type of stuff. It's hard when you're balancing students, teachers. move equipment, it's hard. Those are tough decisions.
060I've tried to attend meetings as much as I possibly can. I think… Because I tried to attend them, I think sitting in with the board can be an easy transition. Um, try to… So more of everything you guys have been working on the past year. I've been here to celebrate the successes of the students, the teachers, the staff, Mr. Price's successes that he's had. Um, we've talked about the buses, the electric buses versus the fuel buses. That's a huge challenge that we're gonna have. The enrollment challenges that we have. Student participation, extracurricular activities, how important all of that is. Then the other huge thing that we have going on next year, we have a new… That is going to be huge for this district. That is going to take a lot of work. That is
061a lot of support. I would love to participate and help in onboarding. new superintendent, so that we can maintain all the things that people semester. Small schools. The stuff we have for our students, our staff, our teachers. Early intervention, keeping the extracurricular activities, all the programs that we just reviewed in the budget, So we went over for rock from Wheeler for the high school. Those are the things that make this district fantastic. That really means we can take it. I'm running for the board to help preserve all that, foster it, continue it. take my professional experience and give the prosthetic antics to shift it. Last month's two questions. Uh, one of the questions that often comes up with the candidates, uh, the way the candidates, uh, presented tonight is how you will see them on
062the ballot. Um, the… after the April 20th deadline, uh, the morning of April 21st, cans being the one who came to witness a lot growing and been browsed with this one last. Yeah, I think it was perfect. But, uh, that's how that's done, and that's how you will see the same orders they were. So this time, is how it'll be shown in the newsletter, it is how, uh, they'll be displayed on the ballot. You'll select 2, all 5 names, 100 possibility of 2 writers. So, that sometimes comes up as a question. Any other questions? So… Oh, I was just gonna grab you. Oh, actually, this one. If you don't mind, um, so… Uh, so first of all, thank you, uh, both Joe and, uh, Rob for that. Really informative than anything you've ever put forward.
063Um, it's not just so many questions, it's just observation. mail alert, I know this. you know, 3-part budget, The only part of the budget that was shrunk from last year was programs. The biggest part of the program was struggling was teaching. So that's something that gives you a hoop, okay, and we're seeing… AJ programming was one of the big… highlights what they want to do, what goal that people want to state, or… Now, this… I'm gonna say something crazy. But we're at 2.5. We've sort of gone upwards of 4. I would, personally, So, I would rather keep that teacher, whatever program, he might lose out on. and see a little bit of a higher tax rate. Because I want to make sure that that program… if there's a strength into the AIS pre-programs, if there's
064training in N, you have that. program. That takes my… and that makes my study extensive go off. And I don't like to see that part. The program used to think that the students are directly coming into contact with. daily basis. Look, not a question, but just a concern overall. Budget. It was the number one thing I noticed that as well. The big, big shift in the… And if you missed any other comments or questions? You gotta make a transition, um… what we're presenting up here is switching… we're going to switch gears. We have another Zoom. set up for the board meeting, so anyone who's online, we're going to shut this Zoom off, shut this presentation off. And in about 5 minutes, we're going to start another Zoom, and another presentation for the board meetings. Will
065you bring in just a few minutes. Oh, absolutely. I just want to thank the prospective board members for presenting. I think it's great, and for you guys for inviting them to. I think it's great that we did that. I really regret that we haven't done that in the past, and I hope that we can continue going forward. Um, it's exciting to find candidates. for only 3 seats, uh, but I hope those of you who aren't successful candidates consider rushing in a future end, too, because we always have Um, so it's available, and we don't always have people willing to support them. So, um, thank you for the interest and for participants. Great. We just need a few minutes to transition over to board meeting. Thank you, everyone. staff or youth.