Schools
Retirement Rates Discussed as RVC BOE Continues Budget Talk
Changes in 2013-14 school district calendar also discussed.
The Rockville Centre Board of Education continued its discussion on the proposed 2013-14 school budget at its monthly meeting Wednesday night at South Side High School.
After discussing the general support and instruction portions of the budget proposal at its last meeting, the board looked into transportation, youth services, community services and interfund transfers.
The budget for transportation increased $269,778 from the previous year, a 6.74 percent jump. In order to control transportation costs, Assistant Superintendent Robert Bartels encouraged expanding the use of the district’s own minibuses, rather than contracting out to private companies when feasible.
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The board anticipated change for youth and community services to be minimal, as youth services experienced no change at all in the proposal and community services saw a $60 decrease.
The group with the largest change in the proposal was the interfund transfers section with a $2.9 million increase. A large portion of the increase was due to teachers’ retirement and medical and dental insurance.
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The teacher retirement system rate is going from 11.84 percent to 16.25 percent, while health insurance saw increases of 8.8 percent and are projected to rise again in 2014.
Superintendent Dr. William H. Johnson explained that the board has no control over the teacher’s retirement system.
“We don’t have a choice,” Johnson said. “The state has made a determination that all the employees in the state of New York who are employees under the laws-guiding civil service must join the employee retirement system that is governed by a board at the state level and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.”
The latest edition of the proposal calls for a 3.57 percent increase on the tax levy, which stays within the tax cap.
The board said it will have a “cleaned up” copy of the budget on its website by the end of the week.
The board also made revisions to the 2013-14 school calendar. A Superintendent’s Conference Day for all annualized employees unless exempted by contract originally scheduled for Aug. 28 was moved to Nov. 27. School will also be closed for students on May 27 in the revised proposal.
