In the mail: Legal Notice on Contingency Budget

 

Over the weekend, I got this notice in my mail.

 

"The District will be required to cut approximately $1,305,552 if the proposed budget is defeated by the voters. These cuts will include 1.5 administrative, 8 teaching positions as well as cuts in buildings and grounds."

 

This flyer is a legal notice mailed to all district residents every year prior to the budget vote. It details the budget and sums up what happens if the budget does not ultimately pass causing the district to adopt a 'contingency budget.' The law is quite specific in requiring a budget cut (not a reallocation of funds had that been an option). Worse yet - the law specifies (not the voters, not the Board of Education or administration) what money can be spent on and where funds cannot be used. Specifically, funds can only be spent on " those expenditures considered essential to maintain an educational program, preserve property, and assure the health and safety of students and staff." No equipment, no uniforms, no capital expenses. Further, our budget is 80% personnel which is why it's not surprising to see the legal notice reference the impact on our teachers. 

 

Get your questions answered at the last Budget Tent Talk on 5/13.

 

(Source: http://www.p12.nysed.gov/.../budg.../handbook/appendixF.html)