The Fayetteville-Manlius School District will hold two community budget forums to talk about the district’s 2017-18 proposed budget.
The F-M Board of Education has approved an $80 million proposed budget that is under the district’s tax levy limit and restrains spending to a 1.39 percent increase.
The proposed $80,728,938 million budget increases spending $1,109,197, or 1.39 percent, compared to the 2016-17 school year. It carries a tax levy increase of 1.96 percent, or $1,145,787. The district’s tax levy limit increase, or “cap,” is projected at 1.97 percent.
A budget forum was held at 2 p.m. on Monday, April 10 at the Fayetteville Free Library. Another forum will take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at Manlius Library, 1 Arkie Albanese Ave, Manlius.
According to the budget the school board adopted at their April 3 meeting, the administration is proposing to use $725,000 of fund balance as revenue to offset its 2017-18 projected expenses and is recommending the following cost containments that would keep the budget from increasing by an additional $1,104,231:
• $489,231: technology staff changes;
• $300,000 salaries: retirement breakage, attrition, reductions;
• $250,000: reduction in employee benefit rates; and
• $65,000 utilities: reduced gas and electric costs due to lower rates.
The district is proposing to add an additional school resource information officer (it currently has one), which would cost $90,000, and convert a part-time school nurse position to full time, which would be an additional $17,000. When not providing health office coverage in one of the elementary or middle schools, the expanded full-time position would provide additional staffing at F-M High School, which has about 1,445 students enrolled.
“These are two positions we have considered adding for several years because they directly benefit student safety,” Tice said. “With the reductions proposed in other areas of the budget, we felt the time was finally right to move forward and include them in the proposed budget.”
District residents will have an opportunity to vote on F-M’s budget proposal 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 16, 2017, at Fayetteville Elementary School.
More budget information is available at fmschools.org/budget.
