RVC Board of Ed Discusses Budget in New Blog

The following blog was written by the Rockville Centre Board of Education; it was posted on the Rockville Centre School District website:

At our annual Preliminary Budget Hearing held on Wednesday, April 17, the proposed budget for the 2013-14 school year was adopted and will be voted upon by our community on May 21.

This year our focus was to stay within the tax levy cap while maintaining the outstanding programs and opportunities that our district offers to all of our children.

In addition to these programs, the proposed budget will support the addition of a high school varsity boys’ swim team, as well as the introduction of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program into South Side Middle School.

The proposed budget for the 2013-14 school year is set at $100,748,352. This is a 3.59 percent increase over last year’s budget.  Since the budget is within the tax levy cap, a simple majority will be required to pass the budget.

For the second year in a row, there was an appeal to the board of education for the inclusion of a boys’ swim team in the school budget. We hope that many of our students take advantage of this new opportunity.

The Middle Years Program (MYP) provides a framework of academic challenges that encourages students to embrace and understand the connections between traditional subjects and the real world, as well as to become critical and reflective thinkers. The program aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people.

The MYP fits in with the new Common Core curriculum, which is already being implemented throughout the schools. Our intention is to pair the MYP with the Common Core to create an outstanding educational platform for all of our middle school students. We are committed to maintaining the highest standards in education while being fiscally responsible.

We recognize the value of our tax dollar and the investment made in our children and our community. That is why we are asking you to come out and VOTE! Voting will take place on Tuesday, May 21, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at South Side High School.