School district budget statement: Proposed plan increases spending 1.74% to $74.9 million

School district budget statement: Proposed plan increases spending 1.74% to $74.9 million

Editor’s note: This press release was provided by the Pelham School District.

The Board of Education is expected to adopt the 2019-20 proposed budget at its meeting at 8:15 pm on Tuesday, April 23 in the Pelham Middle School Library.

After adjustments made during the budget review process, appropriations in the proposal total $74,930,000, a 1.74% increase over 2018-19. The projected tax levy increase of 3.17% is compliant with the New York State tax cap and lower than the original proposed increase of 3.90% with the difference largely attributable to deferring the first round of borrowing costs associated with the 2018 capital improvement bond into next year.

The annual community budget vote and school board member election is scheduled for May 21, 2019 in the PMHS Main Gym. Voting will take place from 7 am – 9 pm. Please visit the District website for more information on voter registration and absentee ballots.

The budget continues to support the goals and initiatives outlined in the District’s Strategic Plan. This includes expanding the Foreign Language Elementary School (FLES) program into fifth grade, continuing professional development for the integration of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme in grades 6-10, sustaining the 1:1 Chromebook Initiative and increasing dual enrollment, AP, and elective courses at PMHS, such as A Study in Dramatic Literature (Adelphi), AP Computer Science Principles, Modern Drama, Global Arts, Intro to Programming and App Design, and Intro to Programming and Robotics. Additionally, the budget supports the addition of unified basketball and girls’ ice hockey as new athletic offerings.

Following passage of New York State’s budget in late March, the District was awarded approximately $316,000 in additional state aid over what had been expected. As a result, the Board is considering the creation of an additional elementary psychologist position as well as a new elementary interventionist position to bolster the District’s Response to Intervention work.

“I want to thank our entire administrative team for their hard work in developing this budget proposal,” said Dr. Cheryl Champ, superintendent of schools. “Each year, the budget process allows us to reflect on how we can deliver the richest academic program K-12 efficiently, and in a way that is responsible to the fiscal health of the district and our taxpayers. I’m extremely proud that this proposal not only continues to deliver broad opportunities to our students, but continues to build upon the goals of the Strategic Plan.”