MEET THE BAUMANN SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
SCHOOLS
By FRANK NARDOZZI
Voters in the Bedford Central School District will go to the polls on Tuesday, June 3, to vote for two candidates to fill two seats on the school board.
They will also consider approval of an $81.92-million school budget for next year, as well as a second proposition to sell vacant land adjacent to Mount Kisco Elementary School on Gregory Avenue in order to raise $450,000 for capital projects.
Running for the seat currently held by Joe Whelan are Jason Black and Betty Negron-Ramirez, both of Mount Kisco.
Mr. Black, 34, is the father of two girls and a boy and is the manager of editorial operations for the PricewaterhouseCoopers auditing firm in New York City. Mrs. Negron Ramirez, 38, is the mother of three girls and works as a financial counselor to patients at Northern Westchester Hospital.
currently held by Dot Fallon is Susan Elion Wollin, 45, of Bedford Village. Mrs. Elion Wollin is the founder of Elion Associates, an executive search firm specializing in senior executive recruitment in public relations and corporate communications.
Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday in each of the district's five attendance area elementary schools.
The proposed budget represents an increase in spending over this year of $6,415,640, or 8.5 percent. The spending plan will require tax increases of 8.53 percent in Bedford, 7.26 percent in Pound Ridge, 2.84 percent in Mount Kisco, 8.45 percent in New Castle, and 5.27 percent in North Castle.
The proposed budget is about $1 million less than the budget first proposed by Schools Superintendent Bruce Dennis on March 5. That budget represented an increase of $7.4 million in spending, or a 9.83 percent increase over this year.
The school board's president, Ms. Fallon, said that the budget was "the most difficult the school board has ever faced." COMPLETE NONSENSE !!!-JPG She cited state and federally mandated programs, cuts in state aid and the increase in the student population as among the chief reasons for the need for increased spending and taxes.
Other reasons cited included increased salaries under the new teachers contract, as well as burgeoning state retirement system and health care benefit costs - the latter in spite of new requirements for employee health care contributions.
"It is not easy to go to the taxpayers to ask for more money at a time when the economy is stressed in our region and our nation is engaged in a war on terrorism," Ms. Fallon said.
"However, we have tried to restrain expenditures at the same time as we have sought to accomplish a lot of important things to maintain our commitment to quality education, class size and professional development," she said.
Salaries and benefits
Items having budget impact include a $2.6 million in contract salary increases as provided in previously negotiated agreements with teachers, civil service and administrative personnel and a 25 percent increase in benefit costs, despite a $500,000 savings achieved through negotiated health benefit changes.
Those increased benefits include:
• a $665,000 increase in state employee retirement system costs for civil service employees, due to significant rate increases;
• a $2.1 million increase in health benefit costs due to 10 percent- to 15 percent-higher medical and prescription rates, along with significantly increased claims experience; and
• a $250,000 increase in other benefit costs including Social Security, dental insurance, teachers' state retirement system and worker's compensation.
Bond projects
Increased costs associated with the 2002 approved bond projects include:
• So l 5,000 net new debt principal and interest on the initial borrowing for bond projects and
• $218,000 in new equipment purchases for classroom, library and other furnishings for newly constructed additions taking place in 2003-04.
Increased expenditures for curricular initiatives include:
• updating curriculum writing, mapping and assessments;
• increased purchases of testing materials to meet state and federal "No Child Left Behind" standards;
• implementation of the second phase of a new elementary math program with materials, textbooks and training in kindergarten, first grade and fourth grade;
• Phase one of a balanced literacy program with enhanced literature in elementary classrooms; and
• a program to pilot new science materials in elementary science classrooms.
Program reductions and modifications include:
• summer academy costs pared by $81,000, including reduced need for transportation and the program to be structured to meet more targeted student needs;
• elimination of elementary afterschool homework clubs, saving $56,000;
• reduction from three to two instructional computer leases, thereby delaying purchases of additional computer technology and reducing the budget by $150,000; and
• reduction of $108,000 in out-ofdistrict special education tuition placements.
Transportation
Despite a 4 percent increase in contract prices and the addition of one bus for use at Mount Kisco Elementary School and Fox Lane High School next year, contract bus costs will decrease by $186,000. The current year's prices were based on estimated bid prices last year. Actual bid prices came in lower.
Additional efforts in the transportation department to streamline bus routes and driver time on routes has
saved another $20,000. The reduced replacement of buses in the bus fleet will decrease the budget by $64,000.
Operations and maintenance contract costs are rising. Fuel and utility costs are rising by an estimated $120,000. Contract service costs, many associated. with their own companies' increase in fuel costs, are rising $140,000.
BOCES
Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) fees and insurance costs are also on the rise including:
• BOCES administrative fees to the district, which are increasing by $134,000, based on the impact of rising health and retiree costs at BOCES, and
• the district's property and liability insurance costs, affected by the continuing "hard" insurance market, expected to increase by $45,000.
Capital projects
Budget provision for capital projects is reduced by $170,000, from $470,000 this school year to $300,000 in 2003-04.
However, the board has provided for increased capital project efforts by proposing the sale of unused vacant land, where the proceeds of the sale, and some state Rescue 11 Aid, will be used for capital projects.
If the budget is approved, $320,000 will be used for the replacement of the Pound Ridge Elementary School septic system.
If Proposition 11 is approved - the sale of the Gregory Avenue property adjacent to Mount Kisco Elementary School - the voters would authorize an additional $474,200 in capital projects across the district. Those would include:
• replacement of playground equipment due to the septic system project at Bedford Hills Elementary School, as well as the replacement of a classroom sink and vanity, for a sum not to exceed $68,000;
• replacement of a window wall in the village room, recarpeting three classrooms, replacement of the front exterior doors and connecting corridor doors, repair and soundproofing of cafeteria walls, and replacement of the gym floor at Bedford Village Elementary School, for a sum not to exceed $124,500;
• partial replacement and repair of the water distribution piping on the Fox Lane Campus for a sum not to exceed $20,000;
• replacement of the fire alarm system in the central administration building, for a sum not to exceed $37,500;
• partial replacement of gym lockers and science lab tables at Fox Lane
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