Preliminary Budget Overview

North Colonie Central SchoolsMarch 5, 2012Shaker High School Media Center

Agenda Identify returns on educational investment Provide an overview of current state, local

and national financial picture Review Governor Cuomo’s proposed budget

and its impact on North Colonie Identify educational mandates and their

impacts Review impact of tax levy cap Explain approach in developing 2012-13

budget Preliminary budget highlights

Our Mission All students are provided the opportunity

and necessary support to engage in relevant, challenging work which contributes to their academic and social growth and development.

All staff, teachers, and administrators are part of a larger learning community working together to build collective capacity in order to provide a high-quality, relevant, equitable education for all.

The Twin Pillars

We continue to rest our success on the twin pillars: Outstanding Student Achievement Tradition of Fiscal Prudence

Returns on Our Investments For academic performance, North Colonie ranked

14th out of 459 upstate school districts in New York State by the Buffalo Business First and Western New York State Business Council

North Colonie is one of only four upstate districts in New York State to have 50% or more of its students achieving superior marks (above 85%) on 11 different Regents exams (2010 data)

Returns on Investment

7 National Merit Finalists in the graduating class of 2012, more than any Suburban Council High School

Shaker Senior Angela Wang is one of 40 national finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search who will be traveling to Washington D.C. to meet the President

Returns on Investment

The Siena College Transition Program was established to provide students with disabilities a college experience.

Teachers K-12 have worked diligently to incorporate hands-on, authentic learning experiences in science.

Teachers have incorporated technology to support teaching and learning through multi-media projects and research that develops critical thinking.

Returns on Investment North Colonie was recognized nationally as

a “Best Community for Music Education.” Twenty of our advanced high school art

students had their work selected for exhibition in the Annual Juried Exhibit held at the Sage Albany campus.

Our pre-engineering students completed a capstone project and successfully presented projects to a panel of architects, engineers, and R.P.I. professors.

Returns on Investment

Shaker Junior High School students scored at or near the top of the Suburban Council on percent achieving proficiency on NYS ELA and math assessments.

Elementary teachers have worked throughout the year to develop curricula and refine their teaching skills to align with the Common Core Learning Standards.

Returns on Investment

The District Energy Committee identified cost savings and reduced overall energy usage thus mitigating rises in energy costs.

D.O.T. bus safety inspections resulted in 97.4% of our buses passing.

Food Service won a New York State Education Department Best Practices Award for Promoting Healthy Choices/Nutritional Education.

National, State & Local Picture Although there are some signs at the national level

for optimism, we are still feeling the impact of the recession

Unemployment has decreased slightly nationally The Capital Region is better positioned economically

compared to the rest of the nation The financial markets are improving States, municipalities and local governments

continue to struggle Local school districts continue to struggle

economically and look toward significant reductions in staffing and programs

National, State & Local Picture Projected budget deficit that the Executive

Budget proposal needs to close: 2012-13: $3.5 billion 2013-14: $3.6 billion 2014-15: $5.0 billion 2015-16: $4.2 billion

Total projected four year deficit = $16.3 billion

Governor’s Education Budget Proposal

Gov. Cuomo proposed an $805 million statewide increase (4%) in aid from last year.

The $805 million is broken into three components

GeneralSupport tohigh-needsdistrictsExpense &Enrollment-based aidprogramsPerformancegrants

$290 million

$265 million

$250 million

Breakdown of State Aid

North Colonie is only eligible for expense and enrollment-based aid programs (i.e. Transportation, Special Education, Text Book aid, etc)

North Colonie is slated to lose $52,000 in state aid from 2011-12.

District State Aid Trends

14.5

15

15.5

16

16.5

17

17.5

18

18.5

19

2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13

State Aid

$18.8 M

$16.1 M$16.4 M

$16.8 M

$16.7 M

Causes for future concern Fund Balance continues to decrease In 2013-14, annexation aid begins to decline (10% a

year for 10 years) Tax levy cap is in effect through at least 2016-17

school year. Thereafter, it remains in effect only so long as rent control laws are in place.

In 2011-12, district received highest Brick and Mortar assessment in county – can’t expect that to happen every year

Governor’s and New York State Education Department’s plan for state aid and educational mandates are unknown

Causes for Cautious Optimism Difficult decisions have been made

Maplewood Elementary TRS rates have remained flat Health Insurance rates have trended lower than

expected NCTA contract agreement resulted in cost savings for

district Possible growth in assessments Fiscal Responsibility

Prudent use of fund balance High credit rating in borrowing rate Refinancing debt

Legisl

ature

Schools

Educational Mandates

Dignity for All Students Act Regents Reform Agenda

Implementation of Common Core Learning Standards K—12 English Language Arts K—12 Mathematics

Changing State Assessments and proficiency requirements

Response to Intervention Enhanced Graduation Requirements Annual Professional Performance Review

Video & presentation from January 19 presentation available on district website

New Financial Mandate – Tax Levy Cap NYS has a property tax levy cap, not a 2% cap The law creates a multi-step formula to determine

“tax levy limit” Sets a higher threshold for voter approval of budgets

if proposed tax levy increase exceeds the “tax levy limit” plus exclusions

The actual allowable tax levy increase will vary by district

The tax levy calculation limits the school district levy, not the individual tax bill of resident taxpayers

Voters are approving the budget (spending plan) not the tax levy

The education community still has questions regarding some details of the tax levy cap calculation

The North Colonie Budget Process

Began in May after the vote on 2011-12 budget

Started process early, holding two community budget forums in November and January

As job openings have occurred, we have tried to achieve savings via attrition

Board committees have met throughout year to discuss important topics that impact the budget, including new state mandates, curriculum, facilities planning, and finances.

Approach to Developing Budget Guiding Principles

Limit the impact of reductions on students and programs as much as possible

Where possible, look for gains via attrition Keep constituent groups informed To greatest extent possible, maintain current

educational program and limit reductions for 2012-13 school year

Immediately begin planning for more profound, yet educationally sound, structural changes for 2013-14 school year and beyond

Achieve educational and fiscal sustainability by achieving savings and making “targeted reinvestments.”

Preliminary Budget Highlights

Targeted Reinvestments Pursue a “mission-focused” budget. Align spending and restructuring to the

mission. Use savings gained from attrition to fund

educational priorities. Reduce and redirect spending to honor

mission-focused priorities.

Preliminary Budget Highlights Building student capacity

Increase support staff at the elementary level for students who are struggling with meeting proficiency in reading and mathematics

Increase supplemental supports for students at the junior high level who are struggling with meeting grade level expectations

Building professional capacity Support teachers with the curricular and

instructional shifts required for the successful implementation of the Common Core Learning Standards

Upcoming Meeting ScheduleMarch 8 Equipment, Maintenance, Interfund

Transfers

March 12 New Programs & Initiatives, Summer Curriculum, Debt Service, Enrollment

March 15 Fund Balance, Revenue (including updated Tax Levy Cap), Contingency Budget, Further Discussion

March 19 Staffing Changes

March 22 Staffing Changes (If Necessary)

March 29 Voting by Board of Education

* All meetings will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the SHS Media Center unless otherwise noted.

How to stay informed

Budget & Finance page on district website contains many resources Past presentations and videos from

earlier this year Detailed information on tax levy cap Relevant budget news articles from

around the area Timeline of events for the remainder of

budget season

How to stay informed

Follow along online – participate in the budget process from home via the live-stream feed

Frequent Superintendent budget videos on Facebook during budget season

Full budget meeting recaps available on district website