VOORHEESVILLE — The school board adopted, by unanimous vote, a $21.8 million budget proposition on Monday.
The budget carries a tax levy of just over $15.6 million, and the board made more than $600,000 in budget cuts in order to keep the tax levy under a 2.43-percent increase, so that a simple majority, rather than a supermajority, is needed to pass the plan on May 15.

Cuts include the majority of the high school clubs; maintenance personnel; boys’ freshmen basketball and boys’ volleyball; Board of Cooperative Education Services Internet Technology instruction; special education tuition; and sections of foreign language, music, science, art, and social studies in the high school.

The board found out last week that Voorheesville is receiving extra state aid; $20,023 more in Foundation Aid, which was frozen for the past four years, and $52,390 for Gap Elimination Adjustment.

“I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see that, even though our school district is considered a wealthier one, we got some new money,” said Gregory Diefenbach, assistant superintendent for business.

Some of that money will go toward employing two teachers’ aids for next year’s second-grade class. Last week, at a school board meeting, parents of current first-grade students expressed concern over the larger-than-average class being split into four sections, rather than the five sections at the first-grade level. (For the full story, go online to www.altamontenterprise.com and look under New Scotland archives for March 29, 2012.)

Teresa Thayer Snyder, superintendent, said that, after an ongoing conversation between the parents and the administrators last week, the decision was made to put two aids in the second-grade classrooms. If new full-day kindergarten enrollment reaches 80 students, the board will consider using some of the “new money” to employ a full-time teacher’s aid for that class.

The board is not considering adding freshmen basketball or boys’ volleyball back into the budget.

The balance of the state aid money will go into the district’s fund balances.

The district estimated next year’s tax bills for a property with an assessed value of $250,000:

— New Scotland residents would pay $4,050, an increase of 2.9 percent over this year;

— Guilderland residents would pay $4,567, an increase of 2.5 percent;

— Berne residents would pay $6,358, an increase of 2.45 percent.