Roslyn School Superintendent Dr. Daniel Brenner updated the public on the school budget picture at last Thursday night’s school board meeting. He said that the budget-to-budget increase from the 2013-14 fiscal year to the 2014-15 year was very slight at 0.62 percent.
“We had only a very small increase in the budget percentage thanks to good fiscal management by our District administrators and our Central Office,” said Dr. Brenner.
Dr. Brenner explained that the budget was put together after administrators were directed to look for ways to reduce expenses without impacting the district programs. The administrators submitted the budgets and the Central Office held individual meetings with each administrator to discuss necessary budget items, reductions that need to be made and equity across school buildings.
Some budget initiatives in school programs include Common Core training and module training for school staff, Equity Resource/Professional Development and Summer Programs and new courses in the Middle School and High School. The Teacher’s College Readers & Writers Project would continue at the Elementary School level and into the Middle School.
In the area of technology the purchasing of new copiers for the Copy Center Initiative would continue as well as the continuation of upgrades to district hardware. Hardware would include disaster recovery items, Apple TV’s district wide, rollout of Elementary School iPads and security upgrades with a significant increase in camera presence and panic buttons.
In the area of Capital and Bond money, there is $750,000 set aside in 2014 for items such as curbing, pavement and field house work. Work that is not included in the bond such as upgrades to the High School locker room is also being proposed.
Some major factors influencing the budget are the TRS, (Teachers Retirement System) $891,187, ERS (Employee Retirement System,) $156,666, Employee Health Benefits, $712,171 and the Transfer to School Lunch Fund, $275,000.
The tax levy cap is approximately 1.46 percent with an exact figure to be discussed at the follow-up board meeting, which will be held on Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. at Roslyn High School.
