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VOTE!
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Tuesday,
May 17th
6:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.
H.C. Crittenden
Middle School
10 MacDonald Avenue
Armonk, NY
(handicapped accessible)
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Dear Fellow Community Members, On Tuesday, May 17, you will have the opportunity to vote on the 2011-2012 Byram Hills school budget. The $78,654,230 budget represents a 0.8 percent increase over last year's budget and a zero percent increase to the tax levy. Cuts of $2.3 million through the reduction of personnel, improved efficiencies and reduced enrollment, together with the utilization of reserves and conservative long-term financial planning, enable us to achieve this budget and continue all academic programs and services, transportation, athletic programs and extracurricular activities. It also includes necessary capital improvements and repairs and maintains healthy reserves.
To help you make an informed decision, we urge you to carefully review this brochure. In response to feedback from members of the Byram Hills PTSA and this year's newly formed Budget Information Committee, we have revamped the budget brochure to make it easier for you to find and read critical information. Should you desire additional facts or data, please visit the district website, which contains the complete budget, answers to frequently asked questions and much more. You can also view Budget Hearings I through V on Bobcat TV. In addition, you can contact us directly at boemembers@byramhills.org.
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our school district this year, we experience great pride in all our students' successes and in the excellence of our schools. This budget achieves our goals of ensuring that Byram Hills is "a great place to learn," exercising fiscal responsibility and prudence and controlling expenditure growth. Please be an active participant of this community by voting on Tuesday, May 17, at the H.C. Crittenden Middle School between 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Mr. Brett Summers, President
Dr. Ann Tedesco, Vice President
Dr. Leslie Blum (Cziner)
Dr. Alban Burke
Ms. Robin Glat
Ms. Joyce Meiklejohn
Mr. Ira Schulman |
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2011-12 Proposed Budget Summary
Proposed Budget: $78,654,230
Proposed Budget-to-Budget Increase: 0.8%
Proposed 2011-12 Tax Levy Change: 0.0%
What does the budget include?
- All programs and services that support student success
- All state and federally mandated programs
- All existing athletic programs
- All existing extracurricular programs
- All existing transportation services
- All programs implemented since 1997 (see the list here.)
- Increased use of reserves to offset costs
How did we get to 0.8%?
We focused on reducing costs where practical:
- Eliminating Assistant to the Superintendent $161,242
- Eliminating 2 teachers at Coman Hill due to enrollment reduction $201,601
- Eliminating 0.4 full-time-equivalent (fte) music and art teachers at Coman Hill due to enrollment reduction $46,896
- Eliminating 0.4 fte art teachers at Wampus as a result of scheduling efficiencies $42,576
- Eliminating 5 teacher aides as a result of efficiencies and reduced enrollment $201,075
- Eliminating 1 clerical position at the high school $73,235
- Reducing unemployment insurance by $153,345
- Reducing BOCES copier lease costs by $132,068
- Reducing anticipated electricity costs by $118,071
- Reducing trust fund benefits by $82,830
- Reducing life insurance benefit costs by $48,182
We used additional reserves to reduce debt service cost by $990,000.
We incurred mandated cost increases:
- New York State Employees Retirement Fund $725,419**
- New York State Teachers Retirement Fund $355,158
- MTA Payroll Tax $130,000
** $600,000 of this cost will be funded by the Reserve for Retirement Contribuitions, established for this purpose.
We budgeted for contractual cost increases:
- Health insurance $320,010
We addressed health, safety, and environmental issues:
- Wampus roof project $556,000
- Bus garage project (Phase 1) $340,000
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For Additional Information
Please contact Richard Lasselle, District Clerk, at (914) 273-4198, extension 5930, or by e-mail at: rlasselle@byramhills.org.
Copies of the budget can be reviewed between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the District Office, 10 Tripp Lane, Armonk, NY, and at all four schools, or at the North Castle Public Library.
For more budget information, please click here.
Click here for a PDF file of the printed budget brochure.
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