MCS Seeking No Tax Rate Increase

MORRISTOWN - Forging ahead with his series of open budget presentations despite the current fiscal situation being faced state-wide, Morristown Central School Superintendent David J. Glover covered the preliminary academic, athletic, and guidance portions of the 2010-2011 budget.

Opening his presentation Wednesday evening at its regular school board meeting by declaring the very real possibility of state aid once again being withheld by Gov. David A. Paterson in March, Mr. Glover pointed out that large sums of state revenue at this point are not a given.

With that being said, Mr. Glover continued, the board's goal is to maintain as close to a zero-dollar increase as possible to the proposed spending plan, while maintaining a focus on the district's mission, goals, and the strategic plan.

Three areas within the superintendent's academic program budget that reflected rather significant changes fell under lines dedicated to "administration and improvement (a 95.9 percent decrease), occupational education (a 10.8 percent decrease), and co-curricular activities (a 28.9 percent increase)."

Under administration and improvement, which is proposed to drop from $24,525 (adopted 2009-2010 budget) to $1,000 (proposed 2010-2011), Mr. Glover explained that two positions originally planned for ARRA (American Relief and Recovery Act) funding, will not be filled.

The occupational education decrease, from $293,743 in this year's budget to $261,987 proposed for 2010-2011, results from career and technical education expenses, Mr. Glover said, which are based on a three-year average.

As for the increase in the co-curricular activities line, from $18,000 this year to $23,196 proposed for next, Mr. Glover said that all co-curricular stipends have been included in the collective bargaining agreement.

"Meaning that we have enough budgeted funds to pay all stipends if all positions are filled," he said.

Overall, the program budget overview proposes a 0.8 percent budget increase, from $3,766,613 budgeted for 2009-2010, to $3,797,625 proposed for 2010-2011, a $31,012 increase.

Academically, due to contractual salary increases, instructional salaries are scheduled to increase 3.9 percent, from $1,623,480 (2009-2010) to $1,686,196 (proposed 2010-2011), or an increase of $62,716.

One line that is proposed to see a drastic increase, "tuition," from $2,000 to $12,000, is due to funds budgeted for distance learning classes, according to Mr. Glover.

Within the guidance portion of the budget review, Mr. Glover explained that instructional salaries will contractually increase from $45,000 to $47,544, a $2,544 increase which represents a 5.7 percent budget change from the current school year.

BOCES services too will increase (23.8 percent), from $17,200 in 2009-2010, to $21,300 proposed for next year. Mr. Glover said this increase is a result of a one-day-per-week data consultant, as well as the addition of the Talented Junior and SAT Prep programs.

Three main factors contribute to the athletics portion of the budget, according to Mr. Glover, including coaching, transportation, and participation.

Proposed coaching costs are divided into instructional ($37,720) and non-instructional ($15,055) salaries, with MCS coaches being evenly split between MTA and non-MTA, according to Mr. Glover.

The next regular meeting of the MCS Board of Education will occur in the Super Room at 7 p.m. on March 17, during which the special education and instructional technology portions of the proposed 2010-2011 budget will be discussed. The board anticipates adopting the budget on April 7, sending out the district's budget newsletter on April 27, and holding a budget hearing on May 5.