“Difficult decisions may be on the horizon.” GSCD to survey residents about budget priorities

To the Editor:

The budget development process for the 2018-19 school year in the Guilderland Central School District is underway. We would like to invite you to lend your voice to the discussion about how we will use our resources to best serve our community’s children next year.

On Jan. 19,  the district will release an online survey that asks community members to prioritize areas of the budget. The results from this survey will help the district and the board of education determine what is most important to our community members, our taxpayers, parents, and students, before any budget decisions are made.

Your participation is especially important because difficult decisions may be on the horizon.

Here is why: New York State has a budget deficit of $4.4 billion. There is unprecedented uncertainty over federal aid to schools and the impact of the new federal tax system on New York State.

In addition, our school district’s operating expenses are going up, but the governor’s recently released budget projects that our state aid will be essentially flat from this year to next. Finally, our tax-levy growth is capped at 2.3 percent.  

Therefore, we need to hear from you about what you value most. Please take a few minutes to fill out the online survey which can be found at www.guilderlandschools.org.

Inside the survey, you will be asked about your priorities in general, as well as questions about two specific topics that are of interest to the board of education: the cobblestone schoolhouse, and the start time for students at Guilderland High School. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete and it will remain open until Friday, Feb. 2.

On Monday, Feb. 5, we will release a list of specific potential changes (both additions and reductions) that are under consideration as part of the first draft of the 2018-19 budget. The list will be accompanied by a feedback form where you can share your thoughts about the proposals online.

In addition, on Tuesday, Feb. 13, immediately prior to the regular board of education meeting, we will be hosting a community conversation from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Large-Group Instruction Room at Guilderland High School. At this meeting, we will release the results of our survey and provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions about specific proposals under consideration.

Your feedback on the survey and at the community conversation will inform the decisions made in the first draft of the budget. The budget will be presented to the board and community on March 6.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and thank you in advance for participating in our online survey. I hope to see you at our community conversation. Your voice does matter this budget season, and always.

Dr. Marie Wiles

Superintendent of Schools

Guilderland

More Letters to the Editor

The Altamont Enterprise is focused on hyper-local, high-quality journalism. We produce free election guides, curate readers' opinion pieces, and engage with important local issues. Subscriptions open full access to our work and make it possible.