BUDGET HEARING
V
The Board conducted the fifth in its ongoing series
of public meetings regarding the proposed operating
budget for 2004-05, which is due for a vote on May 18.
Presenting an overview of the budget proposal, Superintendent
John Chambers and Assistant Superintendent Greg Carlson
noted several reasons for increases, most significantly
the District's continuing growth in enrollment, projected
to rise by another 3.5% in the new year. That enrollment
growth, coupled with the Board's intentions to keep
class sizes within appropriate guidelines, necessitates
the hiring of additional staff. Other factors in the
increase are outside the District's control-retirement
contribution rates set in Albany, and health insurance
premium costs are examples.
Even while contemplating these increases, the administration
and the Board trimmed the proposed budget,
In This Issue..
| Budget
Hearing V
|
1 |
Program
Report:
Technology Systems
|
1&2 |
| Other
Business |
2 |
| Coming
Attractions |
2 |
| Board
Action Summary |
3 |
|
|
which included reductions in proposed expenditures
by more than $1MM before the administrators brought
the budget to the Board, and another $.5MM reduction
during the Board's deliberations. After those reductions,
the 2004-05 proposed budget comes to a bottom line
of $55,378,738.
The Board adopted this budget proposal at their meeting
of April 20, and used Budget Hearing V to call attention
to the public vote on May 18, which will be held at
the H.C. Crittenden Middle School from 6:30 a.m. to
9:00 p.m.
Public information on the proposed budget is mailed
to every Byram Hills household in a "Budget Postcard"
and a longer Budget Brochure. In addition, information
will be available on the District's website, or, as
always, may be obtained from the District Office.
Program Report: Technology Systems
Uses of technology, particularly as a tool to support
instruction, became the focus of Board and staff discussion
for much of the rest of the meeting. Looking back
to 1997, Deputy Superintendent Jackie Taylor, technology
coordinator Marie Kish, and many members of the staff
traced progress in the uses of technology in the schools
to date, particularly for instruction but also for
other uses as well.
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