Thank you so much for taking the time to educate us about the specifics of the budget, Nancy. I, too, think these questions need to be addressed, especially in regards to #1, 2 & 4. Given that the President of the School Board informed me that changing the start time of the high school was to save money in the budget, I am particularly interested in hearing about the specifics of these line items.

After reviewing school budget documents and gathering additional information from the District, I would like to provide a few answers to the Letter to the Editor submitted earlier this week.

1) The increase is based on the current salary and benefit provisions of the superintendent's contract for 2013-14
2) This is a change in where the salary is budgeted/coded. An Educational Technology Specialist (teaching position) was eliminated when that individual became the Director of Technology and Data (administrative position). So the teaching salary line was reduced and the administrative line was increased.
3) The District receives textbook state aid each year -- an amount that is never enough to fully cover textbook needs. Consequently, they prioritize needs each year. In doing so, one will see funds shifted each year from one subject area to another, based on where those funds are spent. For 2013-14, the music department was one of the priorities. As for the general budget line (supplies), again, they move from priority to priority and the music department has needs that can't be pushed off any further. Other lines went down in concert with this line increasing.
4) This reflects the amount they pay to BOCES for the entire management of our Athletic Program. It includes the cost of all officials, our share of an inter-scholastic Athletic Coordinator, dues, fees, and insurance.
5) Any savings in printing would be wiped out by the cost to pay someone to maintain the website and/or e-mail distribution lists. More importantly, undertaking such a change would require all parents to have access to a computer, printer, and the internet -- which can not be assumed and could present an "equal access" legal issue.
6) Another move of a line item ? Moved/ re-classified some expenses from the "Contractual - Athletic Office" budget line to the "Conference and Travel - Athletics budget line." One went up and one went down.
7) - BOCES administrative and capital expenses +$24K (based on county-wide enrollment).
- Required Common Core curriculum work +58K.
- two administrative positions -- one just a recoding as per above(~$90K), the other is a new position appointed this past winter (~$100K, Supervisor of Special Education) which (IMPORTANT - THIS SAVES US MONEY!) enabled the district to bring more out of district special needs students back into district resulting in a net savings (after the cost of this new position) of ~$40K.
- Benefits, the largest of which was the increase in pension costs, gets distributed across the Administrative Component, the Program Component, and the Capital Component of the budget (combined they represent/equal the entire budget). As such, the increase in benefits attributable to the Administrative Component was ~$254K. Again, reflective of the large increase in pension costs.

I hope this helps to resolve most of your concerns and questions regarding the budget.

1)New superintenedent should not be making more money than the current one.
2 & 5)Admin position for Ed Tech will be a higher rate of pay than teacher. That person should be able to coordinate email report cards and progress reports to parents. If you have a provision for parents to request a mailed, printed copy you eliminate equal access problem. This worked in a neighboring district.
3)Fully understand textbook aid.When we are trying to save every penny, maybe not increasing that budget line for choral music would have been more appropriate. Other areas were increased, understandably due to Common Core changes.
6)Would guess that $11,000 in conferences is too much and I don't care where it came from it could have been a savings.
7) Why a supervisor of special education when we have a director of pupil personel services?
Having worked in education for many years I understand all this. I understand the budget process. To approve a budget before the details are made public and we,the public can ask questions,in insulting and unacceptable.Only when it is a done deal do we, the public,get to see the details.