State Fee Nets Minor Decrease in Hillsdale School Funding

A fee from the state is going to cause a small net decrease in funding to Hillsdale Public Schools, according to Superintendent Rick Spirito.

State funding to Hillsdale Schools will remain flat according to figures released by the state, but a fee being charged for the state Schools Development Authority (SDA) will cost the district about $11,000, according to Spirito.

The SDA provides funding to districts across the state for capital projects.

Hillsdale will receive $802,759 next year, the same amount as this year, according to the Department of Education. That number does not include the SDA fee.

Spirito said the flat funding provided a challenge for the district because costs go up each year and officials are planning to update security and implement new state-mandated teacher evaluations.

Overall, the problem would not be big enough to cause real problems for the budget, he said.

"I don't see it causing any major changes to our programs," Spirito said.

District officials are planning to present their preliminary budget during a hearing March 21.

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