Assistant Superintendent for Business presents proposed budget at Board of Education meeting
Assistant Superintendent for Business Ken Silver presented the proposed 2023-2024 school year budget at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. The proposed budget includes a tentative 0% increase in the tax levy, with reserves, state aid, and other sources of revenue covering increases in spending.
The total proposed budget is $269,282,490, an increase of 1.21% from this current year. Increases in spending mainly include charter school tuition (up $1,904,732), regular instruction (an increase of $1,812,468), security up $259,000), utilities ($350,000 more), transportation (up $737,700), health insurance (an increase of $1,072,00) and facilities (an increase of $2,327,000).
The expenses covered in the proposed budget include $67,656,993 in non-negotiable mandates. These mandates include an 8% increase in health insurance for active employees and retirees, charter school increases, and other employee benefits. There is also a $1,603,072 obligation to community schools through a portion of Foundation Aid.
Decreases to expenses include administration, which is down $294,000, and transfer to capital, which is down $2,100,000. There is also a decrease of $1,130,000 on debt service.
The expenses include $186,581,100, or 69.23% of the budget, for programs, which includes salaries and benefits of teachers. An additional 22.16%, or $59,558,630, of the budget is allocated to capital, which includes construction and operating costs. Administrative expenses make up 8.61% of the budget and total $23,142,760.
To support the proposed 0% tax levy increase, the budget will be balanced using restricted reserves. Major capital projects will also be paused for the year. While reserves are very low, the district is owed $11.7 million from the city in taxes that should have been collected prior to the 2020-2021 school year. The district will also work to acquire state aid to support that shortfall.
There will be public budget presentations on April 26 and May 9. The Board of Education is scheduled to adopt the proposed budget on Friday, April 21. The public budget hearing is on May 2 at the Education Center. The budget vote will be on May 16.
Scholars in culinary arts, a Career and Technical Education program at MVHS, presented at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. The students cooked dinner for the trustees and a key lime parfait for dessert, and they provided everyone who attended the meeting with homemade cookies.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Ken Silver presented the proposed 2023-2024 school year budget at the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. The proposed budget includes a tentative 0% increase in the tax levy, with reserves, state aid, and other sources of revenue covering increases in spending.
Over 175 students attended the first annual STEAM Night at Benjamin Turner Middle School on Thursday, March 9, 2023. The events occurred throughout the entire school and featured hands-on activities such as gaming, mad science, coding, engineering, math and robotics.
It is with extreme sadness that I announce that a tragedy has occurred in our community. Today, Thursday, March 9, 2023, a Mount Vernon STEAM Academy ninth-grade student who was not in attendance at school today was shot in the vicinity of Levister Towers this morning.
The Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education will begin hearing comments from the public at the end of its regular public meetings starting with the meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Board of Education meetings will begin with all reports and other items on the agenda, and community members will have the opportunity to comment once the agenda items are completed.
Greetings Families,
This letter is a follow-up to the information presented during High School Showcase Night on February 2, 2023, regarding the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy. Students who are interested in attending the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy for the 2023-2024 school year will be administered an entrance exam. The entrance exam selected for students will be the PreACT® 8/9.
The Mount Vernon City School District inducted Cheryl L. Davis, who has worked in television and theater as a writer, into the Mount Vernon High School Hall of Fame on March 4, 2023.
New York State My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) hosted its annual Stand and Deliver, where MBK fellows gave TED-style talks on their experiences in the program, on Friday, February 17, 2023, and Saturday, February 18, 2023.