Schools

RVC Board of Ed Adopts $100.7 Million Budget

The Rockville Centre Board of Education unanimously adopted a $100.7 million budget for the 2013-14 school year at Wednesday night’s monthly meeting.

The budget is a nearly $3.5 million or 3.59 percent increase over the previous budget. The proposed school year tax levy is 3.55 percent.

A final decision on the Middle Years Program was also made at Wednesday’s meeting. After months of discussion, all five board members decided to add the program into the budget.

Assistant Superintendent Robert Bartels assured the board that the final budget number would not change as a result of the Middle Years Program’s addition. Instead, the additional $25,000 necessary to implement the program into the district would be taken from the transportation budget.

Bartels said that should the district run into problems with its transportation budget during the year, that it would have to go back and find funds from another area of the total budget.

The Middle Years Program is a program for students in grades 6-8 that utilizes the students’ abilities across all disciplines.

As in years past, approximately 60 percent of the budget came from instructional costs, which increased by more than $1.5 million over 2012-13.

The biggest increase in the newly adopted budget was seen in interfund transfers. Teachers’ retirement costs went up $1.2 million, while medical and dental insurance saw an $857,000 increase.

The total costs seen from interfund transfers increased by more than $2.2 million from last year.

Prior to most of the budget discussion, Rockville Centre residents approved a $45.9 million school improvement bond by more than 600 votes back on March 19.

The district’s budget vote will be held in the South Side High School gym from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on May 21.


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