Additional state aid among items to lower budget
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

The Amherst Central School District received more state aid than anticipated from the New York State 2007-08 budget.

At the April 3 Board of Education meeting, Mark Whyle, the district's director of administrative services, said Amherst has received $858,000 of additional revenue for the next school year, which he said is by far the most significant change of projected district revenues ever from a governor's proposal.

The increased state aid is one way the district can decrease the proposed tax levy from an increase of 7.04 percent to between 1 and 2 percent. Other proposed reductions could come from $792,000 in health insurance, as a result of the district's adopting a self-insurance program, and a host of items from district departments totaling $325,000.

Whyle said the district is projecting a total surplus of $1.8 million at the end of the year. Of that amount, $800,000 can remain unreserved and undesignated, he said.

"The remaining $1 million must be either appropriated to support next year's budget or placed in a reserve," Whyle said.

Whyle said the suggestion is to appropriate approximately $750,000 to support the budget next year and to reserve the remainder to cover the self-insurance coverage.

The new figures would lower the tentative budget from $41,008,000 to $40,235,000 for a 3.75 percent decrease and the levy from $26,562,200 to $25,040,000 for a 0.91 percent reduction.

The board must adopt the budget at the April 17 meeting.

In other matters: The board approved Read 180 for Windermere Boulevard Elementary School this fall. Read 180 is a comprehensive reading intervention program designed to help students whose reading achievement is below the proficiency level.

Scott Payne, the director of special education, said the program gives students and teachers immediate feedback on students' performances through assessments. Read 180 has already been implemented at the middle school. The Read 180 program at Windermere, which includes training, will cost $20,700 with BOCES aid.

The board approved the ratification of the Amherst Office Personnel Association's new contract. The four-year agreement is retroactive from the 2005-06 through the 2009-10 school year. Whyle said the new contract provides a 3 percent raise to the salary schedule. Office personnel also agreed to participate in a single health insurance provider.

The board's May 1 meeting will officially start at 8 p.m. in the district office boardroom in the rear of Amherst Middle School following a presentation on the proposed capital project at 7 p.m. in the school's auditorium.

e-mail: pnagy@beenews.com