Taxes and Fees
Lancaster School Budget: Incredible value?
By Lee Chowaniec
Apr 6, 2007, 14:11

The Lancaster School Board recently adopted a 2007-08 budget that increases spending by 6.55 percent ($4.7 million). The $76.37 million budget’s increase will be primarily offset by the increase in 2006 property assessments and increased state aid, resulting in a 25 cent per thousand assessed property increase. “An incredible value,” says School Board President Ken Graber. Really?

Some of us property homeowners would call that playing with numbers. Our property valuations increase and we pay more in property and school taxes. From one pocket or the other, it doesn’t matter we are paying more in taxes.

We are being told that should the school district get more in state funding, our school tax liability would decrease even more. Well, that’s going to happen.

While Governor Spitzer’s initial budget proposal targeted large aid hikes for poor urban districts, and only cost-of-living increases for wealthier suburb districts, they will all share in the 1.3 billion-state-aid programs.

Add to that giveaway the billion plus handout the state will dole out to property owners in the name of tax relief, “by tripling the size of rebate checks,” says State Senator Dale Volker.

But then again, who is the state? Why we are! One way or the other, we are paying for school district spending. And, spend they do. Whereas a few years ago, then Governor George Pataki looked to holding school districts accountable in achievements and spending before dishing out increased STAR dollars to property owners, fiscal accountability appears to no longer be a requirement, or an incentive.

School districts will use the new state windfall in diverse ways: boosting intervention services for struggling teachers, special education, reducing class size, expanded instructional, etc.

Lancaster had already incorporated into its 2007-08 budget the hiring of a speech therapist for the district and three full time and several part-time reading teachers at the elementary level.

Budget review

What’s not to like about a school district budget that will cost a homeowner with property assessed at $150,000 only $30 more? On top of that, hundreds more promised in future STAR rebate checks (amount depending on Legislator spiel)?

Who should or will care at budget voting time about the 6.55 percent spending increase when the increase is covered by increased property assessments and in aid from a state government that is increasing its spending by seven or eight percent, depending on who you choose to believe.

For those that do care about school spending and where the increase came from, the individual can examine an overview of the proposed budget at Lancasterschools.org. There he will find the budget broken into three budget sections, Administrative, Program and Capitol.

Administrative

The Administrative Budget includes expenses for salaries, contractual, material and supplies, equipment and BOCES services.

The administrative budget increased by $546,902, or 7.6 percent from the 2006-07 budget – from $7,136,259 to $7,683,161.

Administration/supervision of curriculum, regular school and special schools increased by 6.2 percent ($2.8 million to $2.98 million).

Benefits for administrative functions increased by 5.2 percent ($1.3 million to $1.4 million).

Program Budget

This part of the budget covers the cost of providing school services.

Spending increased by $3.78 million, 7.3 percent - $51,682,234 in 2006-07, $55,460,077 proposed for 2007-08.

The “Instructional and non-instructional salaries” portion of the Program Budget increased by $1,417,158, 6.9 percent.

Teachers were given a 4.9 percent salary increase for going to a single health insurer provider. They in turn will contribute seven percent of the premium cost in 2007 and eight percent in 2008. Not a bad deal, for the teachers that is!

Benefits for program functions increased by 7.3 percent - $754,807. $11.2 million in the 2006-07 budget, $12 million in 2007-08.

Capitol Budget

Includes operation and maintenance of plants, principal and interest on school buildings, bonds and BANS and benefits.

This portion of the budget only increased by 2.9 percent - $12.86 million in 2006-07 budget to $13.3 million.

However, Proposition NO. 3 on the voting ballad reads:

RESOLVED, that the Board of Education of the Lancaster School District (The District) be authorized to undertake a district-wide capitol improvement program consisting of alterations, renovations and improvements to all existing District buildings and facilities, including in each case, site improvements for various school purposes and other appurtenant and related improvements, and the acquisition and installation in and around the foregoing improvements of original furnishings, equipment machinery, apparatus, and other services incidental thereto, all at a total estimated total cost not to exceed $11,000,000, with such cost being raised by a tax upon the taxable property of said District to be levied and collected in annual installments in the years and in the amounts as the Board shall determine, with such tax to be partially offset by state aid available therefore and, in anticipation of such tax, by obligations of said District as may be necessary.

State aid will pick up the brunt of the capitol improvements. Again, who is the state?

The kids should come first, but do they

Education is indeed the key to success. Legislators and school administrations believe more money spent on education will better prepare our children for higher education and to compete in our changing world.

County Legislator Kathy Konst titled her Bee commentary this week: Behind every silver lining, is there a dark cloud? She further wrote, “It seems for every bit of good news we get and that our community so desperately deserves, there are the naysayers, critics and pundits who rush to squash dreams and kill optimism.” Konst says we should not give up hope.

Behind this silver lining of state aid largesse and property assessment, there is a dark cloud, namely where the money came from this year and where will it come from in the future to offset the skyrocketing school spending.

With the 2007-08 6.55 percent increase, the Lancaster School District will have increased its spending by 21 percent in the last three years, at a time when town growth and school enrollment has stabilized. The brunt of that money has gone for salary and benefit increases.

The Business First school rankings will be out shortly, it will be interesting to see if we are getting a bang for our buck – especially when most spending increasing are going for salary and benefit increases.

When spending is increasing in the public sector by double the rate of inflation, those of us not receiving income of like proportion have the right to seek clarification and justification on how our money is being spent. “Ours is to reason why, not just do or die!”

Taxpayers have personal budgets to balance as well and can’t rely on voodoo economics.

There will be a public hearing on the budget proposal on May 7, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in the Lancaster High School Auditorium.














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