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Assistant Superintendent for Business presents proposed budget at Board of Education meeting

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.  

Board of Education Budget Presentation

3 students with new sneakers and Jude

Four deserving students left school with new pairs of sneakers thanks to a donation from Jude Sainjour, cofounder of Buttafly, a clothing shop in Mount Vernon. Mr. Sainjour traveled to Grimes School to personally give the students their new shoes on Friday, September 22, 2023.

Dad and daughter

Fathers gathered around the entrance of their child's school and children beamed with happiness as their dads got a chance to visit their school. Lincoln School, Mount Vernon Leadership Academy, Hamilton School, Cecil H. Parker School and Graham School held Dads Bring Your Child to School Day on Thursday, September 21, 2023.  

Brian Simmons

The Mount Vernon City School District Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department has announced that it will be offering emergency medical technician (EMT) training at Mount Vernon High School. The courses will be available for around 20 12th-grade students at MVHS and Rebecca Turner Academy (RTA).

Mr. Thomas, Dr. Pope, Ms. Naughton and students.

Two alumni of Mount Vernon High School spoke to a crowd of 11th graders and motivated them to excel in their studies and accomplish great things. Erica Naughton, assistant principal at MVHS, invited Dr. Gloria Pope and Steven “Butch” Thomas to show scholars the success that Mount Vernon graduates and residents can achieve. Mr. Thomas and Dr. Pope visited MVHS on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

Logo for news post

Recently, some students in the region came across a concerning post on the popular social media platform TikTok. This post contained a generic threat that mentioned "open fire" on schools without specifying any particular school or district. It is important to note that such posts are not isolated incidents and are unfortunately prevalent on various social media platforms worldwide. Their intent is often to create alarm, annoyance, and disrupt the educational process.

Royce Russell

The Mount Vernon City School District welcomes In-House Counsel Royce Russell. Mr. Russell is an attorney specializing in employment (wrongful termination and discrimination), contracts, and civil rights violations. He will work with all aspects of the District, including legal, policies and procedures, and daily operations.