Residents Encouraged to Attend Tuesday's School Budget Hearing

• $58,218,241 for personnel services
• $849,361 for equipment
• $6,414,936 for contractual obligations
• $1,846,348 for supplies and materials
• $1,718,066 for tuition
• $441,726 for textbooks
• $2,924,938 for BOCES services
• $6,778,899 for debt service
• $27,691,851 for employee benefits
• $600,000 for capital projects
• $118,000 for interfund transfers

This totals $11,557,855 in administrative costs; $79,706,857 in program costs; and $16,337,654 in capital costs. These requests represent a $3,386,838 increase over the 2012-13 budget of 104,215,528 adopted last May.

According to school officials, "no major changes" have been proposed.

Since district subsidy has been eliminated for high school summer school, students can still attend by paying the full cost. The Summer AIS program has been eliminated and funding has been reduced for Arts in Education. Reserved student spaces for BOCES career and technical education have also been reduced and three activities have been dropped and boys and girls lacrosse reduced within the middle school's intramural program.

A teacher at Stratford, one Grade 6 teacher, one Grade 8 core subject team (4.0 FTE - English, Social Studies, Science and Math) and a .5 part-time high school reading teacher have been eliminated. Officials cite teacher reductions were mainly accomplished due to declines in district enrollment; the reading teacher reduction at the high school is due to an anticipated decrease in grant funding, according to school officials.

For a full overview of the proposed 2013-14 Garden City School District budget, click here.