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Board adopts 2009-10 budget

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April 21, 2009

At its Monday, April 20 meeting the Mohonasen Board of Education adopted a $42,383,693 budget proposal for the 2009-10 school year. Residents will vote on the budget on Tuesday, May 19. Download PowerPoint presentation (PDF)

Spending in the proposed budget is up $448,079 over the current year's budget, representing a 1.068 percent budget-to-budget increase and a tax levy increase of 0.59 percent - or a little more than 1/2 of a percent.

Superintendent Dr. Kathleen Spring called the budget "responsible and responsive." She pointed out that starting in the fall, school leaders knew that the national and state economies were worsening and they would have to come up with strategies to make sure the district was prepared for a tough budget year. Luckily, she said, Mohonasen is in good fiscal shape due to years of careful accounting and spending practices.

"This is one of the most proactive and creative thinking districts I've been in," Spring said. "We're not taking as much of a hit as other districts because of our cost containment and efficiencies."

Nothing highlights these efficiencies more, Spring added, than the fact that Mohonasen's per pupil spending is the lowest in the area -- and the fifth lowest in the state.

Per Pupil Expenditures - 2006-07

Source: NYS Fiscal Analysis & Research Unit

Statewide Average $17,330
Suburban Council Average without Mohonasen $14,543
Schenectady County Average without Mohonasen $14,001
Mohonasen $11,523


"This is something that can't be tweaked, it's comparing apples to apples," Spring said. "We're keeping it pretty tight as it is."

To learn more about the budget proposal, download the PowerPoint presentation from the April 20 board meeting (PDF), or visit our budget page. A detailed budget newsletter will be mailed home in early May.

Board of Education Candidates

Five candidates are slated to run for three open seats on the Board of Education. Candidates run "at large" for three-year terms and the election is held on May 19, along with the budget vote.

Those set to run, in the order they will appear on the ballot, are newcomer Lisa Mell; Gary Spadaro, who is running for his second term on the board; newcomer Paula Marshman; newcomer Tom Andriola; and current board president Eileen French, who is running for her fourth term on the board.

Bus Proposition

Also on May 19, voters will decide on a bus proposition to purchase seven school buses (five 66-passenger buses and two 22-passenger wheelchair buses) and two 8-passenger Suburbans. The proposition limit will be $650,000. Of that, 81.5 percent or $529,750 will be paid for through state aid -- meaning the estimated budget impact over five years will be $120,250 (approximately $24,050 a year).

Debt service payments will begin the school year following the bus purchase. So, in this case they would begin in 2010-2011. Because the district is always retiring debt, the new purchase would result in a minimal increase on that debt.

Mohonasen is on a regular bus replacement schedule based on mileage, age of vehicles, repair history and condition.

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