School budget, board votes May 16

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By Krystle S. Morey

 

The Granville Board of Education is proposing a $26.7 million budget for the next school year, $441,304 more than the current budget.
The spending plan, which includes a summer school program and three new busses and calls for no tax levy hike, was presented at a board meeting Tuesday evening in the high school library, where board members voted unanimously in favor of putting it to a public vote on May 16.
The proposed budget is an increase of 1.68 percent, a school data sheet shows.
The school’s $7.076 million tax levy is projected to stay flat, but even if the levy does not increase some residents could see a tax increase because of changes in assessed value of some properties in the school district. This is the sixth consecutive year the district has stayed below the state’s tax levy cap. The budget proposes appropriation of $160,000 from the fund balance, which is $130,000 less than it transferred from its fund balance last year.
Granville is projected to see a sizable increase in state aid, especially foundation aid, a total of $18,089,423 – up $577,181 from this year.
The district received Community Schools Aid for the second consecutive year. It plans to use the $86,044 to provide mental health counseling services to students.
Other budget highlights for the 2017-18 school year include:
n No loss of academic programs, sports or extra classroom activities;
n Funding for two new 65-passenger buses and one new full-size wheelchair accessible bus. The new busses, which will cost $381,931, will replace buses that are more than a decade old and require repair beyond their value;
n Salary and benefit costs for an elementary Academic Intervention Services math teacher and half-day Universal Pre-K teacher and teaching assistant;
n And an on-campus summer school program that will run from July 5 to Aug. 15 for students grades 7-12.
The public will vote on Tuesday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the high school gymnasium to approve the budget and elect three school board members.
The candidates are Kim O’Leary-Cartmell, Susan Perry, Philip Berke, Suzanne McEachron and J. Murray McHugh , each running for a three-year term on the board.
Residents of the Granville Central School District will have an opportunity to meet this year’s candidates for the Board of Education at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 1, at the high school.
The seats up for grabs – now held by Greg Bourn, Suzanne McEachron and Carrie O’Brien – are for three-year terms. McEachron, serving as vice president of the board, is the only incumbent running again. She has served since 2011 and this would be her third term.
O’Brien and Bourn cited family obligations as reasons they would not seek reelection.
Berke ran for one of four seats on the board in 2015. At the “meet-the-candidates night,” the candidates will provide voters an idea of their background and vision for the Granville Central School District.
Sentinel publisher John Manchester will serve as the moderator and will pose a series of questions to the candidates.
Can’t make it to the forum? A video will be posted on the school’s website: granvillecsd.org.