Brewster School’s Proposed Budget Stays Under Tax Cap
With more aid from New York State than planned, the Brewster Central School District has proposed a budget that remains under the tax cap without bleeding programs.
The school district is proposing a tax levy increase of 1.9 percent, which is under the allowable tax cap imposed by the state with room to breath, according to District Business Administrator Victor Karlsson. The total budget is $92.8 million, which is a 3.1 percent budget-to-budget increase.
Karlsson said the money coming to Brewster actually exceeded what the district was originally anticipating with an additional $200,000 windfall.
Superintendent of Schools Tim Conway said the district has remained fiscally solvent and the state has never included Brewster on a list of school districts and municipalities that are in trouble financially. The district continues to have a high credit rating.
Brewster Board of Education Stephen Jambor pointed out how critical the elimination of the Gap Elimination Adjustment was for Brewster and surrounding school systems. He reminded residents that it cost the district dozens of staff positions and forced schools to readjust class sizes because of lost money the district should’ve gotten.
“It’s like somebody hitting you over the head for eight years and then they stop,” Jambor said. “Are you supposed to say thank you?”
District resident Bob Cullen, who is a Southeast councilman, asked about the decision to have only School Resource Officers situated in the school buildings instead of Special Patrol Officers, which cost less.
Conway responded that when there was a presentation about the differences between an SRO and SPO in January, there was an overwhelming call from the community to keep the three SROs from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department.
The budget could be adopted at Brewster’s next meeting on April 12.
