By Carol P. Bartold, Senior Reporter     

Mar. 28, 2018:  The Bronxville Board of Education unanimously approved the resolution to adopt the 2018-2019 school budget of $48,222,978 million at its March 22 meeting. The adoption clears the way for both the May 3 budget hearing and the May 15 budget referendum, which is part of the annual election.

Dan Carlin, assistant superintendent for business, explained that, although the New York State tax levy cap stands at a two percent maximum, a tax base growth factor, which reflects additions to the assessment roll, resulted in a 2.64 percent calculated tax levy cap for the Bronxville district.

“We felt from the beginning of the budget process that we’d have no problem staying within that cap,” Carlin said.

Carlin reported that he expects a positive variance, or surplus, of over $500,000 in the current year budget, which the board has decided to appropriate to offset the 2018-2019 tax levy. Without the appropriation, he said, the tax levy increase would be about 3.18 percent. The $500,000 offset will reduce the tax levy to about 1.97 percent and bring the budget to approximately $276,000 under the cap.

The district anticipates collecting approximately $42.8 million from the 2018-2019 tax levy and approximately $5.4 million from revenue sources other than property taxes. Based on recent robust enrollment of special education students from outside the Bronxville district, the board and administration have budgeted $1.4 million for special education tuition, which will be billed to those students’ home districts. Carlin feels confident that New York State Aid will be in the $2.5 million range and that billings to other schools in Bronxville for health services will bring in approximately $450,000.

Compounded annual budget growth rated, Carlin noted, have stayed in the 1.6 percent range for the past decade. “Over the last decade,” he said, “the current board and prior boards have done a great job at bending the cost curve.”

Approximately three-fourths of the 2018-2019 budget accounts for salaries and benefits. Staffing will remain at current levels even though a plateau in enrollment would indicate the need for one less elementary school section. The district has decided to add a literacy coach and restore art instruction that was reduced for the current academic year budget.

The remaining one-fourth of the budget primarily comprises contracted services, textbook and equipment purchases, and debt service.

Pictured here:  The main entrance of The Bronxville School.

Photo by A. Warner