Hen Hud School Board Adopts $70M Budget Among Public Concern Over Staff Cuts

The Hendrick Hudson Board of Education approved a 2012-2013 $70 million proposed budget that includes staff and program cuts Wednesday night. All present board members except Carson Jacobs voted in favor of the proposal. Jacobs expressed a desire to go above the two percent tax cap instead, but other board members said they were concerned the public would not vote for that.

While members of the public who addressed the board spoke against job cuts, they had constructive conversations district officials. Most addressed the district’s union negotiations with the Hendrick Hudson Education Association, rather than the actual numbers of the budget. At the start of the discussion Superintendent Daniel McCann said that if the union accepts a zero percent pay raise then some jobs could be restored (Read more on that here).

If approved by a public vote, the $70,603,156 proposed budget would raise the tax levy by about 1.06 percent for Hendrick Hudson taxpayers.  The tax rate would increase by about 1.72 percent for Cortlandt residents and decrease by 1.66 percent for Peekskill residents who pay Hen Hud taxes.

This means a Cortlandt resident with an assessed property value of $7,700 (home worth around $420,000) would pay $106 more in school taxes in 2012-2013. A Peekskill resident with the same assessed property value (a home worth around $220,000), who pays Hen Hud school taxes, would pay $73 less in school taxes per year.

The numbers differ between municipalities because of equalization rates and final assessment rolls.

The budget would cut about 33 jobs as well as extra-curricular activities, music classes, testing, professional development and special education tuition, to name a few. Read more details on the budget here. Jobs may be saved depending on how union negotiations work out.

There is also a $500,000 bond proposition the board adopted. The proposition will pay for roof improvements at Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School and the High School.

The community can vote on the budget on May 15 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Frank G. Lindsey School on Trolley Road in Montrose.

Read more about public comments regarding the union negotiations in: Public Urges Agreement Between School District and Hen Hud Education Association

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