Hen Hud School Budget Under Scrutiny as Vote Nears
Hendrick Hudson Superintendent of Schools Joseph Hochreiter felt compelled last week to send a letter to residents addressing what he described as “troubling and false information” being circulated on social media regarding the proposed 2020-21 budget.
The $82 million budget increases spending by 2.62% and includes an average districtwide hike of 5.96%. Ninety percent of homeowners reside in Cortlandt and will see a tax increase of 5.25%. The small fraction that live in Peekskill will experience an 11.5% spike.
This year the elections and the budget vote will be held by absentee ballot only, following a recent executive order from Governor Andrew Cuomo. Each district will mail a ballot to every qualified voter in their jurisdiction. The ballots must be returned to the district clerk’s office by Tuesday, June 9 at 5 p.m.
Next year’s budget is the first where Hendrick Hudson will feel the effects of the closure of the Indian Point nuclear power plants with a $3 million revenue reduction. Revenue from New York State and Westchester County due to the coronavirus pandemic is also projected to be lower. The district is allocating $3 million from fund balance to offset the shortfalls, while Hochreiter explained there will also be savings associated with schools being shut down since mid-March.
“We have been sounding the alarm about Indian Point for three-and-a-half years. We have been talking about this for a really long time,” Hochreiter said during an interview. “Our goal has to be not to replace every dollar lost with tax dollars.”
One resident, Gennelle MacNeil, a district graduate and lifelong Montrose resident, put together a comprehensive YouTube presentation analyzing the proposed budget and future projections, claiming district residents would see a 74.8% tax increase over the next eight years and an average increase of about $6,000.
MacNeil is advocating for the district to reduce its number of school building from five to three, which she maintained would result in a savings of $11 million, and is urging residents to vote no on what she termed a “status quo” spending plan.
Hochreiter contended MacNeil and social media site creators have never asked to meet with the district and share their alternative proposals which he stressed were “based on opinions and interest, not on fact.”
He stated in his letter the Board of Education commissioned a thorough Cost Analysis to study the option of reorganizing the district’s three elementary schools and for many reasons the report turned out to be “a non-starter,” with the estimated cost being approximately $300 million (without interest), representing a tax increase of 300%.
“Putting the financials of the proposal aside, the fact that it would necessitate new construction and renovation of existing spaces creates more problems than it solves,” Hochreiter stated. “New construction would likely not be permitted at either the middle school or Frank G. Lindsey due to space limitations and environmental considerations, rendering this proposal unrealistic.”
While it’s unclear in the current climate if a second budget vote would be permitted if any budgets were turned down, Hochreiter pointed out if Hendrick Hudson was forced to go to a contingency budget $2.6 million would have to be cut for next school year.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/