By Hayleigh Gowans
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, May 17, residents across the state will vote on the proposed school budgets for their respective school districts. Each year, school district administrations must work with their school boards to create and adopt budgets which are then voted on by taxpayers for approval or denial. Listed below are the school districts in the Eagle Bulletin coverage area and the details that go into their budgets.
East Syracuse Minoa
Tax payers in the ESM School District can expect to see a slight increase of 12 cents in the 2016-17 school tax rate, which is estimated to be $25.38 per $1,000 home assessed value. The total budget amount is proposed to be about $76.7 million, and reflects a 2.75 percent overall increase from last year’s budget of $74.6 million, and an estimated tax levy increase of .22 percent.
ESM expects to receive a 3.03 percent increase in New York State Aid in 2016-17, not including their building aid, totaling to about $22.6 million. About $880,000 is proposed to be taken from the fund balance.
For more information about the budget or to obtain a copy of the full budget, contact Sheila Kresse, executive director of school business administration by calling 434-3004 or by emailing [email protected].
The budget vote will be held from noon to 9 p.m. at the ESM High School Small Gym, 6400 Fremont Road, East Syracuse.
Fayetteville-Manlius
The F-M School Board has adopted a 2016-17 proposed budget with a $79.6 million spending plan, which is an increase of .89 percent, or $703,350, from the 2015-16 budget. The proposed tax levy increase is 1.88 percent, or about $1.1 million, which is less than the district’s tax levy limit increase, or cap, of 1.89 percent.
The adopted budget brings a proposed tax levy at about $58.3 million. The district is budgeting a $438,135 increase in state aid, and will carry over $725,000 from fund balance to go toward the 2016-17 budget.
The following reductions totaling $1,057,813 are being proposed to balance the budget: about $430,000 in salaries, including retirements; about $153,300 for equipment, including eliminating some maintenance requests; a $175,000 reduced capital transfer for maintenance projects; a cut of about $152,300 for supplies; and an expected reduction of $147,000 in utilities due to lower rates.
A detailed copy of the budget can be found at the district office, 692-1234. The budget vote will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 17 at Fayetteville Elementary School, 704 S. Manlius St., Fayetteville.
Jamesville-DeWitt
The proposed budget for J-D for 2016-17 is about $53.6 million, an increase of 2.1 percent over the 2015-16 budget that totaled about $52.5 million. There is no expected tax rate change to reach the nearly $37.9 million tax levy, and it is estimated to remain at $23.37 per $1,000 home assessed value. State aid was set at $12.9 million, one of the highest amounts since the late 2010s, said Superintendent Alice Kendrick.
No cuts to programming are needed, but some expense reductions can be made, totaling about $375,000 in maintenance equipment purchasing, an expected reduction in diesel fuel, retirement savings and technology equipment, said Kendrick. The adopted budget calls for the use of fund balance, this year in the amount of about $1.4 million to be carried to cover expenses.
Detailed copies of the proposed budget can be found at the district office, 445-8300. The budget vote will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Jamesville-DeWitt Main High School Gym, 6845 Edinger Drive, Dewitt.
