GCSD projects $109M budget for next year

Wednesday, December 8, 2021 - 18:16

— Chart from Dec. 7, 2021 Guilderland School Board presentation

The Guilderland school district projects these expenses for next year.

GUILDERLAND — A rollover budget for the Guilderland schools next year is projected at $109 million, up $4 million from this year.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Neil Sanders explained to the school board on Dec. 7 that the rollover budget keeps all staff and programs the same as this year. Keeping those constant, spending would increase by $4.1 million, which is a 3.9 percent increase over this year.

Revenue is expected to increase by $2.8 million, which is a 9.7 percent jump.

The biggest factor in the revenue jump is the state’s commitment to make Foundation Aid to schools whole, said Sanders. That brought Guilderland an additional $1.5 million this year and will bring in $2.15 million next year, said Sanders.

State aid is projected to total $31 million while property taxes are to pay for $77 million.

The tax levy increase of $1.3 million, or 1.7 percent, stays under the state-set levy limit of $1.9 million.

As always with school budgets, salaries are projected to be the largest expense at $47.9 million, up from $45.8 million this year. The second largest expense is for benefits at $28.2 million, up from $27.3 million this year.

Sanders stressed that projecting the rollover plan is just the start of the budget process. The governor’s state budget proposal will be out in January with state aid figures, after which the state legislature has its say.

Superintendent Marie Wiles said that “right after the first of the year,” school board members will participate in a ThoughtExchange, sharing their budget priorities online. At the same time, she said, the community at large will be invited to share their budget ideas in a ThoughtExchange.

Wiles will present her draft of the budget in March and the public will vote in May.

Tags:

More Guilderland News

  • Historic Altamont maps an ‘emerald necklace’ of trails around the village, but Gun Club Road is a missing link

    The network of conservation corridors would “act to buffer the well-known effects of suburban sprawl,” while linking into a single accessible system Thacher State Park, the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy’s Bozen Kill Preserve, the Black Creek Marsh Wildlife Management Area, Indian Ladder Farms, Tawasentha Park, and several other public and semi-public lands.

  • Super proposes long lists of cuts to close $4.1 M budget gap

    “We can’t offer everything and do everything that we want to do and still come within the financial guardrails that we have within the state of New York and how we fund our schools, unfortunately,” said Superintendent Daniel Mayberry.

  • GCSD board seeks ways to close $4.1M budget gap without hurting students

    After the meeting ended, the board’s president summed up for The Enterprise what she sees as the board’s view: “As a group, we believe what was presented to us was not balanced or equitable for our students,” she said. “We would like something absent student-facing recommendations and considering other ways.” Asked what those cuts might be, she said, “Administration.”

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.