ECS board addresses budgets and boilers

By SANDY LONG

ELDRED, NY — The Eldred Central School Board of Education approved a final version of its 2009-2010 proposed budget totaling $16,803,000 at its meeting on April 21. The budget represents an increase of $243,141 from the 2008-2009 budget, or 1.47 percent.

Eligible voters will determine whether the budget is adopted on May 19. If the budget fails to pass, a contingent budget is put in place.

According to ECS business manager William Thornton, a contingent budget removes all non-contingent expenses such as new equipment, public use of buildings and grounds outside of normal school hours from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (no weekend usage), non-essential maintenance and capital expenditures except for an emergency.

It would also eliminate the purchase of a new school bus.

Another feature of a contingent budget results in the elimination of bus transportation for students living within a two- to three-mile radius of the school. “It would take a voter referendum to approve lesser mileage,” Thornton told board members.

The total contingent budget would be $16,516,366 (reduced from the 2008-2009 budget by .26 percent) and would raise the tax levy by approximately a quarter of a percent, according to Thornton.

The ECS board of education considered two versions of the budget before choosing the second.

Board president Ray Henry discussed the difficulty faced by the board in making its decision. “I wish I had a crystal ball. But we just can’t predict every expenditure that we’re going to have,” Henry said. “I know there will be folks who are going to be very uncomfortable with seeing that number increase. We tried to listen to everything and to make the best judgment we could.”

During the public comment period, faculty member Bob Bliefernich said, “We know, as staff members, and citizens and taxpayers, that you have worked awfully hard to do this, despite the contentiousness that sometimes appears. But it’s important that we know that the board of education, the superintendent and teachers are not enemies, that we work together toward a common goal. You’ve put a budget out there for the public to have a choice on. That’s a very strong move.”

The tax levy has not yet been determined as it is not submitted until August 21. The school district cannot predict what the exact tax rate will be because critical information on equalization rates and final tax rolls are not reported to the district until mid-August, according to the ECS website.

The board of education has scheduled its Annual Budget Hearing and Meet the Candidates event for May 7 at 7:00 p.m. at McKenzie Elementary School in Glen Spey.

The budget vote and school board elections will be conducted on May 19 from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Eldred Junior/Senior High School in Eldred.

The proposed budget can be viewed at ecs.schoolwires.com/ecs/site/default.asp, by clicking on “Proposed Budget.”

In other matters, school principal Scott Krebs expressed appreciation to all who endured recent cold indoor temperatures at the high school, which occurred when boilers were removed as part of an asbestos abatement project.

The situation has been remedied with a temporary unit that will provide heat for 30 days at a cost of $8,500. Henry said that school personnel had not been informed that the boilers were being removed in advance. He advocated for better communication in the future.