Schools

Get Out and Vote on the 2011-12 School Budget

Your opinion matters.

On May 17, village residents can head to the polls at South Side High School and vote on the 2011-12 school budget and two Board of Education candidates.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. The high school is the only voting locale for budget and school board candidates.

Here is an overview of the 2011-12 school budget:

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The school board is presenting a $95.6 million budget for 2011-12, an increase of 2.41 percent over the current fiscal plan. Officials said the increase is the second lowest in 19 years, and all current programs and services will remain in place. The total amount residents will pay through the tax levy is around $4 million more than they did in the 2010-11 school year, increasing school taxes by about $400 a year. The district, however, did lose $1.1 million in state aid.

  • Instruction: $57,037,559, up from $56.5 million in 2010-11.
  • Benefits: $20,871,300, up from $19.3 million in 2010-11.
  • General Support (administrators, plant operations, MTA payroll tax): $10,566,588, up from $9.1 million in 2010-11.
  • Transportation: $3,772,226, down from $3.8 million in 2010-11.
  • Debt Service, Building Improvements and Interfund Transfers: $3,176, 501, down from $3.2 million in 2010-11.
  • Community Services: $191,010, up from $188,960 in 2010-11.

State mandated costs, like the MTA payroll tax, health insurance and retirement system contributions, will cost the district $2.9 million more in 2011-12 than it did in the current school year. If the budget is rejected by voters, the district will go to a contingency budget, which would cut the proposed budget by $300,000.

Find out what's happening in Rockville Centrewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Under state law regulations, however, the district could not purchase new equipment or allow community organizations to use district facilities without being fully reimbursed if it worked off a contingency plan. School officials said if the district were to go to a contingency budget, the difference in school taxes per homeowner would be about $35.

School Board Candidates

BOE incumbent will run unopposed for reelection, and newcomer will run unopposed for the seat left vacant by Steve Kriss. Click on the candidates names to read their profiles.

 


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