By Carol P. Bartold

Apr. 29, 2015:  The Bronxville Board of Education, by a six to one vote, has adopted a proposed tax levy of approximately $40.8 million, a tax levy increase of 1.39 percent, to fund the major portion of the $46.4 million budget for the 2015-2016 school year. The tax levy increase falls within the calculated allowable tax levy cap for the school district. Board member Christopher Atayan opposed the motion.

The budget, adopted by the board at its April 21 meeting, allocates $735,000 from reserves and fund balance to be used to offset the tax levy.

Although the 2015-2016 budget represents a slight increase over the current year's budget, it will allow the district to hire additional personnel to address the needs of the school's growing enrollment.

A reduction of approximately $700,000 in the district's required contribution to the New York State Teachers' Retirement System and the New York State & Local Retirement System has allowed the district to fund the hiring of one full-time grade 4 teacher, one full-time grades 6-12 mathematics teacher, one full-time grades 6-12 science teacher, one full-time director of technology, and a half-time auditorium coordinator.

A key factor in the board's decision to adopt a 1.39 percent tax levy increase over the 1.1 percent also under consideration was the effect on future fund balance levels. Dan Carlin, assistant superintendent for business, reported to the board that he expects non-tax revenues to stay at their current levels for the next few years. He also projects that the district will need as much as $1.2 million to $1.4 million from fund balance to offset a 2016-2017 tax levy, which would fund a budget not requiring significant budget cuts.

Carlin also stated that, while he projects a surplus of approximately $500,000 for 2014-2015, he does not expect the district to generate a surplus in 2016-2017. He noted that surpluses have trended "much tighter" in recent years, leaving decreased amounts in reserves and fund balance available to the district to offset the tax levy.

"When you run out of reserves," Carlin said, "there's only one way to do it, and that's either significantly cutting staff or having the people of Bronxville vote to override the tax cap."

Board members James Hudson, Mary Giuffra, Adele Murray, and Jeffrey Rohr concurred that preserving healthy reserves and fund balance represents a conservative approach that will afford the district the most flexibility in funding future budgets that will advance the district's programs and goals.

"If we have to rely on anywhere from $750,000 or more per year, we have a run rate here on reserves to fill the tax cap," Murray said.

Atayan disagreed. "I don't think that I fully subscribe to the notion that the excess we run during the year is solely the amount we can use to reduce the tax levy," he said. He called for reducing certain of the district's reserves and adopting the lowest possible tax levy.

Bronxville voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 19, to vote on three separate items:  the annual budget, school board candidates, and a referendum on whether to approve the allocation of funds from capital reserves to pay for a reconfiguration of Hayes Field.

Pictured here:  Students playing on the front lawn of The Bronxville School.

Photo by A. Warner