Published: April 22, 2008 10:48 am      

MEDINA SCHOOLS: Tax levy stays same

The Medina school board passed the 2008-09 budget Monday evening with out much discussion. The total spending plan is $30,163,792, said Scott Hoot, director of financial services for the district.

“The tax levy will remain unchanged in the proposed budget,” he said.

Total expenses in the 2008-09 budget — $30,163,792 — are an increase over last year’s expenditures by $1.5 million, a 5.53 percent increase, Hoot said. However, expenditures will be offset by a significant amount of state aid on the revenue side, keeping the tax levy stable.

“The increase, budget to budget, is almost exactly the same as expenditures of $1.5 million,” he said.

According to Hoot, the school tax rate will not be determined until after property assessments are turned over to the school from the various assessing towns in the district. There is always change with assessments, he said, however, those rates do not influence the spending plan.

“The assessment rates have no impact on the school expenditure budget, which is what was adopted tonight (Monday),” he said.

Superintendent Richard Galante said Gov. David Paterson was very strong in sticking with former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s plan to increase state aid for schools. However, despite a zero percent increase due to state funds, the district will continue to watch its spending.

“We still need to continue to be prudent, because those coffers could dry up at any time,” Galante said.

Galante said budget season is always a crucial time of the year in the district office and thanked everyone who helped in the process. But he had a special message for the residents in the school district.

“To the taxpayers ... I went back through the records and we’ve never had a zero percent increase,” in the tax levy, he said. “The community deserves to have a year that there isn’t an increase.”

School board President Susan Squires said she was grateful to the administrators and Hoot for the work they put into the budget for the upcoming school year.

Community member and school board candidate Rosalind Lind questioned if membership to the New York State School Board Association had been reinstated. Membership cost is in the $7,000 range and was a line item that was removed from last year’s spending. The funds have been included in the 2008-09 budget, Galante said.

The budget vote will take place May 20.

In other Medina school news

• There are 36 school days left in the year, and final exams begin June 16. The district has approximately 150 students graduating this year.

• The school board has three seats open and four candidates this year. Up for re-election are Carl Tuohey and Susanne Keryk. Also running are Christopher Keller and Lind. Their names will appear on the ballot in that order. The elections for school board members will be held May 20, along with the budget vote.