Parent Council: Support Budget and Bus Proposition

May 1, 2013

Letter to the Editor

On Tuesday, May 21^st, our community will vote on the 2013-2014 KLSD Board of Education (BOE) Proposed School Budget and a proposition for bus replacement.  The Katonah-Lewisboro Parent Council fully supports both propositions.

Parent Council supports the proposed school budget, which reflects a 1.67% spending increase over last year. This budget meets the BOE’s goal of maintaining district programming with spending levels that are below the state-imposed cap on property taxes.  Continued significant increases in pension costs and health care expenses are partially offset through staff reduction in line with our community’s declining student population and a change in the 8th grade teaching structure. This budget funds a growing list of unfunded state and federal mandates (APPR, RTI, Common Core Curriculum), and includes enhancements in elementary science, continued staff development, the Safe School Initiative and an investment in technology and other capital projects.

Parent Council also supports the second proposition on the ballot, authorizing the purchase of twelve 78-passenger school buses and one wheelchair accessible van for a total cost not to exceed $1,724,300.  Debt will be issued to cover the purchase with the first principal and interest payment scheduled for the 2014-2015 school year.  We recommend this purchase to maintain the district’s fleet of safe and reliable buses for our community’s children.

We urge all voters to join us in voting “Yes” to the budget proposition and the bus replacement proposition on May 21st. 

Sincerely,

2012-2013 Katonah-Lewisboro School District’s Parent Council

Ashley Murphy, President

Rebecca Bourla

JD Burke

Nathalie Dwyer

Renee Fassert

Mary Gaza

Lisa Glenn

Kathy Lin

Eileen Lynch

Melissa Luper

Tina Phillips

Laurie Scinicariello

Wendy Slater

Lisa Valdes

Chrystine Vance Homer

The Katonah-Lewisboro School District’s Parent Council is a group of current and past presidents from all six PTA/PTOs and SEPTA working together to advise the Administration on issues affecting all students.