Williamsville district's preliminary 2007-08 budget totals $145 million
Calendar has more snow days
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Modified football for each middle school, keyboarding courses and additional personnel make up, in part, the increase in the preliminary $145.4 million 2007-08 Williamsville Central School District budget.

The district's spending is up 4.59 percent - approximately $600,000 - from this year.

"This was the first presentation of the total budget," Superintendent Howard S. Smith said about the Feb. 13 board meeting. "The board will review the preliminary budget and report if it is too big, too small or just right."

The nine-member board will offer comments and concerns at the 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13 meeting.

"Generally speaking, the preliminary budget usually changes a half a percent, not much more than that," Smith said about working toward the final figures.

He said he feels the budget is right where it should be, considering the cost of living has increased 3.5 percent and the district has decided to include five program enhancements in the preliminary budget.

Those enhancements, if adopted in the final budget and passed by the public in May, would include two full-time business teacher positions for keyboarding in the middle schools; a school counselor to serve Mill Middle and North High schools; an English as a second language (ESL) teacher for the district; a school psychologist for special education and pre-school special education students; and a fourth modified football coaching position, which would put a team at each middle school.

One proposal not included in the preliminary budget was funding for security cameras on school buses. Smith said because there weren't significant problems on the district buses the program was not included at this time. He also cited improving technology and the expense of the pilot program as reasons for not including the proposal.

How this budget increase will affect taxes is unknown at this time, Smith said, because final assessments for properties within the district are not available.

The district does not know at what percentage assessments will be based since the Town of Amherst abandoned its 100 percent assessment program, a change that will affect taxes.

In another matter, the board adopted the 2007-08 school calendar. Smith said 186 possible attendance days are planned - 182 school days and four superintendent days. The district has six emergency days that can be used before taking away from vacations.

In 2006-07 there were 185 scheduled days.

Due to an early Easter in 2008, the district will have a four-day weekend around the holiday, March 21-24, and then the spring recess from April 11 to 18.

The first day of school is Sept. 5. Winter recess will be from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1. The mid-winter recess is Feb. 18-22. A Memorial Day recess has also been scheduled from May 23 to 26. Students' last day of school is June 26.

e-mail: jfinch@beenews.com