PCSD proposes $147M budget that maximizes the tax levy
March 7, 2024 at 2:12 a.m.
There’s a sense of stabilization the Port Chester School District is dealing with as it navigates through crafting the 2024-25 budget.
The last three years have allowed the district to flourish due to steady increases in Foundation Aid flowing in, as New York State promised with its commitment to fund the line. Historically marginalized districts like Port Chester Schools saw a turning point with the ability to catch up to wealthier neighbors and reinstate long-lost programs as millions of dollars were added to the calculation every year.
But this year is the end of the three-year phase in—a return to normalcy. The district won’t be getting a multi-million-dollar boost of the magnitude it had been working with, which also allowed it to greatly limit its tax levy increases for the last two years.
At the Board of Education meeting on Thursday, Feb. 29, where Superintendent Dr. Aurelia Henriquez offered a budget presentation to the school board, the conversation found comparison to discussions that were had before the Foundation Aid boon—though certainly not as dire. While nothing was presented for the chopping block, as was often the situation before, it seems the 2024-25 budget will not have the same flexibility the last few years saw.
Tough decisions will be made in the coming weeks.
Though some numbers haven’t been finalized, the Port Chester School District anticipates proposing a $147 million 2024-25 spending plan, a $4.1 million increase, or 2.89%, compared to the current year’s budget. That proposal utilizes the maximum allowable tax levy hike of 2.35% or $1.69 million, according to Assistant Superintendent of Business Philip Silano.
“The 2024-25 projected revenue includes our tax levy of $73.49 million. The other big component is state aid,” Silano said. “Right now, we have the governor’s proposed aid numbers, we should soon get the legislature’s approved numbers. I’m also projecting an increase in interest and real property rentals.”
State aid is currently projected to contribute $67.67 million to the spending plan, a 3.6% ($2.36 million) increase compared to the current year.
The budget presentation gave new information about the district’s projected revenues going into the 2024-25 school year but shed vague light on expenditures or any new programs or positions being added—those are decisions that still need to be determined.
As Trustee George Ford said, it’ll be difficult for the school board to finalize those thoughts until more information is presented to them.
“At some point, we’ll need to know the rollover,” he said, referring to the budget-to-budget unavoidable growth. While there is a $4.1 million increase on the table, it’s unclear how much of that can be used to incorporate additions to schools, versus the amount tied up as money needed just to keep existing programs and contracts going.
“At the next meeting, the superintendent will be presenting her recommended budget which will include the rollover numbers plus any other items she chooses to add,” Silano said.
While next year’s financial flexibility wasn’t disclosed, administrators did give an idea of a few positions they’re looking to add. Executive Director of Human Resources Ivan Tolentino said there’s been ongoing meetings with building leaders and administrators to identify improvements needed.
Largely based on those faculty sessions, potential staffing additions include: special education teachers, world language teachers, bilingual teachers, psychologists, social workers, guidance counselors, monitors, computer aides and a speech and language therapist.
The district is also looking into funding a grant writing position.
“The district will prioritize additions made based on current (state) mandates that the district is working towards meeting,” Tolentino said, referring to compliance with special education and English Language Learner regulations.
Another factor to consider is a few cost savings the district anticipates seeing as they go into the 2024-25 hiring process, he added, such as the projected elimination of 60 sixth-period stipends at the middle and high schools.
“The teachers have in their contract that if they teach over a certain number of periods, they get an extra amount of money. That’s the sixth period; it’s approximately $8,000 when we have to do that,” he explained in a follow-up conversation. Employing additional staff will remove the need for multiple stipends, which offsets the price of hiring.
Priorities up for debate
The Board of Education has already indicated they’re prioritizing spending toward facility upgrades as they head into the 2024-25 school year, and suggested they’d like to see the addition of a grant writer on the roster. However, there were a handful of other potential budget additions up for discussion, which Board of Education Vice President Sharon Burke explained came out of meetings with PTA groups.
Funding for the elementary school spirit squads was on the list—a stipend for an organizer and the purchasing of uniforms for all students because the schools currently provide different qualities—and it received general support from the board. However, the request to pay for field trips, which the PTAs are struggling to finance, and afterschool programming were matters for debate.
“If we can take the burden off of the PTAs and PTOs in terms of field trips…we talked about having a field trip for each class each year, and if we can take on the additional cost of that, it would be terrific,” Burke said.
“I understand the value and see the value, but it feels like a big undertaking. As far as I can see, it would be a significant amount of money. I would need an idea of the cost,” said board member Chrissie Onofrio. “I don’t want to put them in and then three years from now we can’t keep it in the budget.”
After Trustee Ford questioned how other school districts handle the field trip financing, Henriquez suggested it depends on the circumstances of those entities—the size of the district and educational nature of the trip.
He emphasized, a few times, that lists of wants can’t be adequately pondered until they have a more realistic picture of their financial capabilities. “That rollover number will be very important for us at the next meeting. If everything increases by 3%, that could be above that $4.1 million,” he said. “If that’s the case, we would have to take money from somewhere else to support the rollover.”
Afterschool programming, which has been a contentious matter this school year as the drying up of grant money stopped the district from being able to provide free services, produced the most robust budget conversation of the night.
Henriquez announced the district is working to develop a plan for next year, which she hopes to share in the spring. “It’s a complicated process with a lot of moving pieces,” she said, describing how grants also come with a slew of restrictions.
“I just want to be clear on my standpoint: I do not believe that afterschool programs should necessarily be funded through the budget. I think we need to make every effort to continue seeking those grant opportunities whenever possible,” Onofrio said. “I know it can be complicated, there’s a lot of moving parts and strings attached to grants.”
“I see what you’re saying, but I want to point out, when we depend on grants, we’re dependent on whatever qualifications come with it, whatever strings are tied to it,” Burke said. “That leads to in some cases inequality in terms of what’s presented at different schools.”
It’s not a moot point. Just a few years ago, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, afterschool programing had drastically different financial implications at the elementary schools, as some were entitled to funding while others were not.
“When we talk about afterschool, I think we need to consider how best we can provide the same opportunities for children at all four elementary schools,” she said. “It’s the same as when we rely on PTAs or PTOs, that’s where we also see differences in what opportunities are presented to our children. So, I’d like to take a closer look at this to see what we can do to ensure there is equity.”
Board of Education President Lou Russo agreed, stating a “holistic overall approach for a school district should include” accessible afterschool programming. While looking for grant funding is ideal, he said they must find a way to make sustainable planning for a program predictable and stable, which may mean including it in the budget process.
“This budget, at $4.1 million, it may not be enough. So where do you get the money for this program?” Ford questioned. “Is it a one million program? Two million?”
Additionally, he noted, the district does offer other elementary activities during after school hours—such as clubs, academic intervention and English Language Learner programs—though they admittedly aren’t in the same vein as an everyday operation.
“We do have a robust offering,” he said. “To go further than that in the budget could be a concern for our residents, because I repeat, we’re unclear today where we stand with the numbers.”
Ford contested other school districts don’t fund afterschool programming through the budget, though Russo argued that it doesn’t mean Port Chester Schools can’t find a way to do it. Ideally, he noted that he believes trends may be changing on this front soon, as it is a priority being discussed across the region.
“If we all agree that we want an afterschool program, let’s let the administration see what funding we have available, what parameters might be,” Russo said. “We have feedback from the parents, we have some experience with it… I think it’s something we should include year after year and have it be a part of the budget.”
Following the lively discussion, Marissa Torento-Butkiewicz shed light on the PTAs’ requests during the public comment period while noting the struggles they currently face to supplement the students’ experience.
“It’s a lot on PTAs to be raising all the money to make so much happen when it’s so hard for us to get volunteers. The King Street PTA, which is one of the more active PTAs, is running on around 10-12 volunteers this year,” she said. “It’s a lot of work on people who work full-time already and actively volunteer in other aspects of the community.”
Aside from field trips, which she said give children experiences they may never get at home and allow them to apply the knowledge they’re learning in the classroom, afterschool programming is more than a desire from a parent standpoint.
“A quality afterschool program should be five days a week because school is six hours a day and parents work eight hours. We do need a place for our children to be, whether it’s enrichment, homework help, or sports,” Torento-Butkiewicz said. “These are things necessary for a community to function. And a school district functions as a community service, not just a business.”
The Board of Education will meet again on Thursday, Mar. 21, for a line-by-line budget presentation that will focus on increased spending areas in the proposal. On Apr. 16, the trustees will adopt the 2024-25 spending proposition.
After a public hearing is held on May 9, the community will vote to accept or reject the plan on May 21. At the polls they will choose who will fill the two vacant seats on the school board currently held by Russo and Burke.
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