NEWFANE

Joe Olenick

Apr. 23, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- NEWFANE -- Residents of the Newfane School District will have the final say May 19 on a proposed budget that carries no increase in the tax levy.

Superintendent Gary Pogorzelski unveiled the proposed 2009-10 spending plan at Wednesday's school board meeting. The $32,831,229 budget is an $881,538 increase, or 2.76 percent, from the current school year budget. Pogorzelski said the budget increase was the smallest Newfane has seen in five years.

"This board is very cognizant as to what is going on in this community, as far as unemployment and the struggles people are having," Pogorzelski said.

The tax levy, the budget revenue that comes from local taxes, will remain at its current level of $12,038,611. But the district does not yet know what the impact on the property tax rate will be. Final numbers for assessments and equalization rates, two things needed to compute the tax rate, will not be figured out until later in the summer.

The proposed budget also includes the elimination of seven and a half positions in the district.

Positions being cut include a third-grade teacher, four secondary teaching positions (one each from mathematics, social studies, English and science), a middle school assistant principal, half of a speech therapy position and a cafeteria monitor.

Operating costs rose about 1.15 percent, an accomplishment Pogorzelski is proud of.

"That increase is in light of all the utility costs that are going up, all the insurance costs that are going up, contracts, BOCES, salaries," Pogorzelski said. "All of these other things where we have to run these buildings and keep things open and pay these bills. That took some sacrifice."

But the biggest part of the $881,538 budget increase is the capital project. About $549,973 is the debt service, a mandatory budget line that involves the capital project.

Pogorzelski said Newfane received about $884,000 in federal stimulus funds, but did not use the money to restore all of the proposed cuts the board had discussed. The stimulus money cannot be used to lower taxes.

"We considered a lot more cuts than what we ended up with," Pogorzelski said. "We restored some of the cuts, but we can't restore them all. Because we are trying to look out two or three years from now."

The Board of Education adopted the proposed budget by a 5-2 margin. Members Donna Pieszala and David Adams voted against adopting the budget. Pieszala cited concerns about the school resource officer, which costs the district $75,000 and adding a second computer technician from the Erie 1 Board of Cooperative Educational Services for $87,000.

"I just have a problem with this," Pieszala said. "For over $150,000, you have two people who don't have an affect on education."

Pogorzelski said the technician is needed to assist with the district's computer system, which is connected to the BOCES network. The BOCES technician has a contract renewed each year. Pogorzelski said the school resource officer would be discussed at the next board meeting.

There will be a public hearing on the budget May 5. Residents will vote on the budget and the two open seats on the board May 19.

In other board news, Adams announced he would be resigning from the board May 1. He said he was moving out of the district and the board shouldn't replace him since elections are in May. Adams' seat is up for election this year.

Newstex ID: KRTB-0349-34351284