Election 2007 News
School budget of just under $24.7 million to be decided May 19
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK - It will be up to the voters to decide the proposed fiscal 2008 York School Department budget, which has met the Tax Task Force model and won the full support of the Budget Committee.
The proposed budget is $24,679,335.
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Henry Scipione explained that the goal throughout the budget process was to meet the educational needs of York's students and keep the schools moving forward while staying within the Tax Task Force model of increases of no more than 4.7 percent.
"I'm happy to report that we were able to bring the school budget in at 4.16 percent," Scipione said during his most recent public budget proposal on this year's request.
Key points within the proposed budget include the implementation of a full-day kindergarten plan at Village Elementary School, which had been discussed for several years as a long-term goal; adjusted teaching positions to accommodate enrollment changes; targeting maintenance needs for all schools; addressing increased energy costs, and responding to increasing healthcare costs and special education needs.
Scipione noted that of the 4.1 percent increase, 2.9 percent is in salaries and benefits, which are contracted obligations, with other increases reflected in such facets as fuel and energy costs. Instructional expenses, however, have been held to less than half a percent of the total increase.
"Instructional expenses are one of the few that we control directly," he noted.
Throughout the review process, the proposed budget was met with little opposition, and in fact won strong support from the School Committee and Budget Committee, with praise for Scipione and Assistant Superintendent Jim Amoroso in their efforts to answer all questions and make all expenses and expenditures clear.
Scipione noted the budget does reflect an enrollment change, with 177 seniors graduating this year and 107 kindergartners expected to be entering the schools in the fall. Due to reductions in enrollment, the School Department has proposed the full-day kindergarten plan, which allows for the implementation of a new program without the addition of new staff.
However, the program will require the second grade to once again be split between Coastal Ridge and Village Elementary Schools. Last year, the full second grade was moved to Village, for the first time, for the 2006-2007 school year. Due to space limitations, the grade would be split to allow for full-day kindergarten to be housed at Village.
Although the some School Committee members and parents expressed concern during the budget review process about that change, administrators including Village Principal Ruth Dealy said the importance of full-day kindergarten to meet student needs and state mandates outweighed the merits of keeping the second-grade together at this time, although all those involved acknowledged it was a difficult decision to once again split those students and the team of teachers between two schools.
The proposed budget also includes a request to use $200,000 from existing funds to replace the bleachers and broadcast booth on the fields at York High School due to safety reasons. That sum also represents a small amount for architectural design for a future building to include locker rooms, restroom and concessions, Scipione said.
A plan to for an addition to York High School for music instructional space, however, is not on the ballot as was first proposed, due to a concern from the school's legal counsel regarding the use of fund balance. Until that issue is resolved, that project is on hold.
Scipione and Amoroso both stated the removal of that warrant article, as recommended by the school's legal counsel, was a disappointment, and the School Department hopes to bring that request forward at a future election, once the accounting clarification is resolved.
In general, Scipione said, one of the key questions voters should ask is, "does the budget support a quality program?"
Scipione and the School Committee agreed that it does.
"York scores among the highest for student achievement in Maine and in the nation," Scipione said, with higher graduation rate, post-secondary enrollment, SAT participation and overall scores than other York County communities and the state average. "Our MEAs are above state averages and among the highest in all areas and at all grade levels tested. ... We're constantly striving to maintain that level of student achievement."
Scipione noted that the state-required Article 66, which duplicates the individual budget requests and represents the total funding request over last year's budget, would result in the loss of 12 positions if it is not passed by the voters and reverts to the prior year's funding level.
"That's a critical component to being able to provide the education that has given us those results," said School Committee Vice Chairwoman Marilyn Zotos.
As Scipione put it, "York has a long history of supporting our schools and has provided necessary support for our children. As a result there have been sacrifices made in York for the purpose of supporting education. These sacrifices have resulted in a strong, effective and efficient school system: a system that focuses on the individual student and provides the support for each student to succeed."
For more information about the fiscal 2008 budget, visit http://www.yorkschools.org/.
