March 19, 2010 - Faced with a multi-million dollar budget gap, the Board of Education, at its March 18 Budget Committee meeting, made tentative reductions for 2010-11 in the area of Maintenance and approved plans to seek voter approval on several capital construction projects.

The Board began the evening by making tentative budget reductions in the area of Maintenance by approving a proposed budget of $210,000 for maintenance projects, primarily to be accomplished by its own staff. This figure represents a $41,000 decrease from the 2009-10 budget.

Assistant Superintendent for Business, Thomas Rybaltowski, explained to the community that the district looks to two basic ways to fund building projects. A project can be funded out of the General Fund’s Maintenance budget; however these projects are not aid-able by New York State and are usually completed by the North Colonie maintenance staff. Projects can also be funded through a line item in the General Fund, termed Interfund Transfers, which transfers funds from the General Fund to the Capital Fund. These projects are aid-able through New York State.

Both Rybaltowski and Director of Maintenance, Tim Bonk, explained that the planned projects for 2010-11 are generally driven by necessity. Many of them fall under the category of preventative maintenance.

“Neglect causes us bigger problems,” Rybaltowski said. “It is important for us, as a district, to have a sustainable level of funding in order to keep our buildings well-maintained.”

Click here to view proposed maintenance projects for the 2010-11 school year. Please note the projects that are bolded are jobs the district will be doing in 2010-11.

The Board also approved $1.2 million for Transfer to Capital Fund projects. These projects are eligible for building aid at a rate of 68 percent. Click here to view proposed Transfer to Capital projects for 2010-11.

In the fall of 2009, the Administration developed a proposed budget that totaled around $94 million, which included $1.7 million for equipment. Upon examining this figure more closely, the Administration was able to reduce the total cost for equipment to $1.2 million, a savings of nearly $500,000. The biggest items on the equipment listing are busses and technology (computers). Both items are on a multi-year maintenance and replacement cycle. In other words, the oldest items are replaced first. The district will receive $71,000 in computer hardware aid, meaning the first $71,000 spent, the district is reimbursed 100 percent by the State. Click here to view the 2010-11 Equipment Listing.

No decisions were made in the area of Equipment by the Board on March 18. Board members requested more information on a few outstanding issues and will hold off on voting until a later date.

The next Budget Committee meeting will take place on March 25 at the Goodrich Cafetorium at 7:00 p.m. The Board will be discussing Revenue, Use of Fund Balance, Staffing Changes at Shaker High School, Walk Zones, Recommendations for Further Reductions and New Programs and Initiatives.