001And we want to provide another opportunity for students to be able to be proficient in literacy. And we have a firm desire that 95% of our students are above and beyond the reading level when they leave Dixon. So we want to work towards that. We believe that kesthetic lab is that purpose uh for uh lifting our students as readers. We're going to refresh all technology. Tonight you have also an IPA that basically talks about this process. What does that mean? That every 3 to four years we're refreshing Chromebooks, we're refreshing laptops, we're refreshing desktop so that we're not using outdated computers. We also want to provide professional development. A large area of the professional development next year we want to provide is in the areas of literacy especially in the areas of phonics as well
002as in mult um in MTSS multi-tered systems of support that we want to pro provide for students and for f staff and faculty to be introduced to that. We also want to improve all of our facilities and maintain repair projects at all of our schools as you just saw tonight. And then we want to continue the execution of capital projects. We are excited uh that we will be able to work on roofs and the H5 repairs at So here's the highlight. The proposed budget that we are recommending is 47,280,512. We did get rid of the 53 cents upon the recommendation of some of our uh uh comments from last time. So we did round uh recall that uh proposed budget is a 4.34% increase and the proposed tax levy increase is 1.75%. And again this
003does not exceed the New York state tax levy cap. So, if you look at it at glance and you do a comparison from the adopted budget, we're asking a budget-to-budget increase of 1.9 uh million plus million dollars at an increase again of 4.34%. And we would like to raise the uh request to raise tax levy increase at 1.75%. Last year it was at 1.76% and that increase will amount to $614,054. So oftentimes we're asked the question of how a tax levy limit is calculated. This is the calculation. I won't go into this. We went through this in the March one uh Saturday session. However, what I want everyone to know is that the maximal allowable tax levy increase that we could go to is 5.25%. We are not nowhere near that. We're asking for a
004tax levy of 1.75%. If you look at our tax levy history and this is over uh the past five years uh you will see that there is some uh differences there's some ups and in one year we had a zero however we know that we want to be fiscally responsible last year was 1.76% we are proposing a 1.75% tax levy where's all of our money coming from so let's talk about where our revenue revenues are coming up because we talked about this before. You can't have revenues and expenditures and they don't balance. You have to have a balanced budget. So, the large majority of our budget does come from our uh tax levy at 75%. And then we have uh different uh areas for state aid. We're expecting from state aid um 8,812,57. And then
005we have some miscellaneous areas that we expect to receive um which is about a little bit over $2.7 million. So if you go through the actual categories um you'll see how we've broken it out. And we want to also say that the nonpropy tax comes from the area of the Westchester County sales tax that is also given to us as a portion and we expect that to be 802,000 a little bit over uh for next year. We also have the billing uh when we have Ellford resident students in other school districts. We bill for those health service that those students receive. And so as well as we also have students here that are from other districts and we build for that when they're attending our schools from another school district and we expect those health
006services that we can ask for reimbursement from other districts at 85,000. We also think that interest in earnings will be at about a little bit over 1.45. And then we get Medicaid assistance and we do use the appropriated fund balance at uh $417,241 to uh balance this budget. So if you look at our historical revenues, what we want to show you is where the adopted budget was and where we are estimated and proposed. And if you do a compare and contrast of these areas, you will notice that the budgetto budget increase for the adopted to propose is about 4.34%. We want to talk a little bit about foundation aid history. I many of you have heard about the Rockefeller report that was given and they talked about what the foundation aid should be restored to
007and currently we are receiving now a current aid in our foundation aid that is representative of what we should have been receiving since 201819. So our budget components now we are required to break up our budget into components uh for state purposes and so there's an administrative component a program component and a capital component. Now the administrative component does not include instructional salaries. It is really about administrative salaries, benefits, related office staff, board of education expenses, legal um insurance, some of the data processing costs. That is what you'll see next year as what we're proposing is a 5.1 a little bit over $5.1 million. Now program promote which is the largest portion of our budget. It is because we are student focused and we spend the largest portion of our budget to our um students
008and we have a favorable teacher to student ratio and we are so thankful for this support and uh we thank all of the board for supporting us in this endeavor to keep our class sizes favorable. You also have in the pro program component guidance health services booies programs our sports extracurricular programs as well as transportation and then the capital component is what you saw today some of the areas of facility maintenance transferred capital debt service and so forth. So when you look at the breakout of our proposed expenditures, you will see when you look at the pie chart, 65.56% of our budget goes to professional salaries, their benefits, our support salaries. And that is where the largest portion because we are student focused and these individuals are individuals that raise the caliber and experience for
009students districtwide. And then there are other areas that you have. These are object codes that we've broken out for you so that you can see where the largest percentages of our budget uh is expended. So we talked a little bit about reserve fund and this was as of March. We have not updated for April because we're still um going through the process of being in the month of April. But as of now these are reserved for our reserves. And what are reserve funds? reserve funds. I think the easiest way to describe them to the board is like a savings account, but they are not part of our general fund account. So these numbers are not included in our general fund. These are savings accounts that are designated. So we have a reserve for workers comp.
010These are designated. I can only spend that portion on workers companies. ERS and TRS are our retirement systems and that is a reserve fund. In any case, for example, that um you have a situation where we are in need to access those funds, that's what they're there for for uh retirement benefits. Tax certuary. So tax certuary is probably something we can do at a later uh of a uh board presentation is we are often in a situation where different uh taxpayers of our community will come and say that we feel that our taxes need to be reviewed. And thus, as a result, we have a reserve primarily because of all of the many different areas that we know um where uh members of this community may say to us that they feel as though their
011taxes need to be reviewed and thus for as a result that is what that reserve is for. Uh we also have employee benefits as well as a capital fund. And then we also have a reserve for repairs. And as there's a footnote there that currently the repair reserve is at 1.8 a little bit over a million but tonight we are asking the board to be able to spend 1.2 million of that primarily because we do feel as though this is not money that we want to take out of the general fund. Um however because they are one-time repairs and they would not be repairs that we would need uh for years and years. it's just one time repairs. We feel as though uh using the repair reserve for that would be beneficial. Now, how do
012these funds get to this reserve fund summary? Um and that was uh something that I think was uh a question. One of the things that we have are um in our budget, we can actually transfer funds to the reserve or we may have a year where we have surplus. And in those situations, we take the surplus and we ask to have those uh funds be allocated in any of these reserve funds. And um the board makes that decision at the end of the fiscal year. And finally, this is uh the part about our contingency budget. If this budget does not pass um the contingency budget one is where the administrative component as you saw in earlier s slides cannot be greater um than last year. So our budget would have to be decreased by $356,283.
013In addition to that, um we would only have uh the ability to uh purchase equipment that would be for the reasons of health and safety. And then all individual contracts with some exceptions would be frozen. So for example, our teachers, administrators, and other positions requiring SED certification uh may potentially receive salary increases where some of the nonaffiliated may be frozen. So that is the conclusion of um my budget presentation. Thank you. Thank you very much. Okay, we're going to go to the approval of minutes seven. Do I have a motion? All in favor? Motion carries. Okay. Do I have a motion for the review of policy under number eight? I have a motion. Second. Second. All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. Uh we're going to move to the recognition of the audience. Um 20 minutes,
01430 minutes each. Uh we're going to open it up for comments or comments. Now feel free to come up to the mic. Good evening again. Uh thank you so much for addressing the updates from the capital. It's almost as if you read my mind and uh had it prepared. Um excuse me again. And so I was just hoping um uh to have a specific timeline on when the I'm so excited to see the phone um and the PS system uh is on its way. the the parking lot is done. Um the phone system is especially a concern for me um because yesterday we received notification that the phone lines were down at Brady and that just creates an emergency uh concern and so I know it's in progress um and I was wondering when we
015can expect that to be done. So if there's an emergency, my kids don't have phones, right? If I need to um get in contact uh uh with them that we we have access, that's a big concern for me. You're you you look like you're about to answer that. Yes. Thank you. So, um we are planning on testing the system on Monday and if all goes well then uh we'll light up soon after. Oh, that's great to know. So, we we should hopefully our staff has to go through training and make sure that they know what they're doing. So, um when they return from break, the staff will go through training. uh some staff are going through training even this Friday and uh during the break and the rest of the training will happen with the
016staff when they return but we will have it um as long you know cross fingers not good uh we'll we hope to turn it on. Okay, perfect. Thank you so much. Um, and with regard to the uh budget um uh proposal and I see the plans for the kinesesthetic lab at Dixon um uh expanded electives at the high school. Uh I think that's wonderful. I'm wondering about some more continued enrichment opportunities for our students at at Grady. Um sometimes I feel as if the students in the middle and that elementary age, we put our focus on the youngest kids and maybe the oldest kids. Um, and I'm hoping that the budget for next year will uh be utilized intentionally to support enrichment um for our our middle our elementary age kids. So, I'm I'm I'm
017curious about the partnership that we can have to to ensure that. Um, and then lastly, as a parent of a rising seventh grader, my my child will be at um Hamilton uh next year. I was looking at the um school profile. I could not find the high school profile uh on the site. I may have missed it and I wanted to emphasize how important this document is for for families, for the district, for public image. Um it it highlights our academic strengths, our extracurricular activities, graduation data. Um and it's a tool that sets us apart from neighboring districts. And I know there's been a redesign of the website and I don't know if maybe that piece is is not there um or I'm missing it. So, I just wanted to uh implore the district to
018update or make sure it's easily uh found on the website high school profile. Thank you. Thanks. All right. If there's nothing else, we're going to move on um to first thing in finance uh item number 10.01 to 10.05. Do I have a motion to approve? So move second. Second. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. Now going to move to superintendent personal recommendations in structural number 11. Carries this 11.01 through 11.08. I have a motion to approve. Motion. Second. Second. All in favor? I carries. There was no that right? No. Okay. Item number 12, superintendent personal recommendations non-instructional 12.01 12.02. I have a motion to approve. Second. Second. All in favor? Opposed? Motion carries. That'll bring us to uh item number 13, new business discussion. Um guys, 13.01 and 13.16. I have two things on
019here which I'm going to suggest. I'd like to table 13.07. Um do I have a motion to table? Motion to table 1307. All second. Second. All in favor? I opposed. 13.07 is table and then I've got uh 13.13. Um I'm going to make a motion to reject um 13.13 motion to reject 13 13 second. All in favor? One additional amendment. Uh amend 13.01 01 and 13.11 such that these funds would be joined from the tax security. Do I have a second? Second. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. Okay. With that, do I have a motion to approve 13.01 through 13.06 and from 13.08 8 to 13.12 amending 13.13 and 13.14 through 13.16. Do I have a motion to approve that? Motion to approve as amended. Do I have a second? Second. I opposed. Okay.
020Motion carries. Do I have a motion to adjurnn? Motion. Second. All in favor? I opposed. Motion carries. Thank you everyone for coming tonight. Have a great day.