February 4, 2010 - The North Colonie School District is preparing for a very difficult season of budget planning and will be holding a series of six Budget Committee meetings to help navigate this tough economic terrain.

The first of six Budget Committee meetings will be held tonight, with the final one occurring on March 31. Summaries and supporting materials will be posted on the district's website following each meeting. Each meeting will be a working session for the Board of Education.

“We are looking at ways to address declining revenues,” Superintendent Randy Ehrenberg said. “The Administration is working to present a budget that will offer solutions to this difficult problem.”

The Budget Committee Meetings are open to the public and will be held at the Shaker High School Library at 7:30 p.m. on the following dates:

March 8
March 11
March 15
March 18
March 25
March 31

In 2010-11, North Colonie would see $2.4 million less in state aid, under Governor Paterson’s proposed budget, though some expense-driven aids are expected to grow by about $600,000. The $1.8 million net loss represents more than a nine percent reduction in the district’s total state aid package from the current year. State aid accounts for almost 18 percent of the district’s $90,096,000 budget.

“Our public needs to be aware that there will be changes in the services provided to our students and community next year,” Ehrenberg said. “However, the number one priority is to have these changes result, as much as possible, in the least amount of impact on the lives of our students.”

To keep up to date on the latest budget happenings, please visit our Budget and Finance page