Mt. Pleasant Schools Projects 1.53% Tax Hike in $69.8M Budget

The Mount Pleasant Board of Education is evaluating next year’s $69.8 million budget that is tax cap-compliant and carries a preliminary 1.53 percent tax increase.

The Mount Pleasant Board of Education is evaluating next year’s $69.8 million budget that is tax cap-compliant and carries a preliminary 1.53 percent tax increase.As the district awaits the results of this week’s $9.7 million athletics facilities referendum, Superintendent Dr. Peter Giarrizzo presented the board earlier this month with the proposed 2022-23 spending plan that requests a districtwide staffing increase of 6.8 full-time equivalent positions to address student needs.

Spending is proposed to increase by more than $2.6 million, or 3.96 percent, but just over half of that hike is a result of the district’s increase in state aid, said Director of Administration Margaret Modugno. Mount Pleasant expects to receive an additional $1.38 million in state aid next year, a nearly 19 percent increase over the current year.

The tax levy is at 2.12 percent, about $1,236,000, the maximum allowed while still falling within the cap.

“We think we are putting forward a budget that incorporates a lot of excellent things for our instruction and non-instructional portions with a tax rate increase that is a lot lower than what we’re putting into the budget,” Modugno said.

Staffing increases include an additional 2.5 positions to bolster special areas at the elementary schools. Giarrizzo has proposed one full-time art and science teacher each and a 0.5 music teacher.

A full-time special education teacher is being added at Westlake High School but that is partially offset by an 0.5 reduction at the middle school.

The district plans to offer American Sign Language at the high school starting next year, requiring a 0.4 staff member for the high school, Giarrizzo said. It will be the third language offered for graduation requirements, joining Spanish and Italian, he said.

“It’s good for all kids but it’s especially good for students with language processing delays to meet a graduation requirement in language,” Giarrizzo said.

Other staffing changes include a net increase of one special education teacher at the elementary level. Two additional special education teachers are needed at Columbus Elementary School, although one would be taken from Hawthorne Elementary School.

Westlake Middle School is projected to receive 0.2 full-time equivalent additions to its writing lab and Challenge Lab for math and a 0.4 sixth-grade reading teacher for special education students.

Two part-time monitors will be added at Hawthorne Elementary as well as one full-time security monitor each at the middle school and high school.

“We’ve seen a lot of numbers and mathematical formulas over the course of the last week or so, but a budget is so much more than that,” Modugno said during the Mar. 16 budget presentation. “It is bringing the vision and the mission of this district to life. It supports what the Board of Education wants, what the superintendent, leadership team and the entire district and the community hopes for the future of our children.”

The district also figures to benefit from its share of the county sales tax by receiving another $230,000 to $1,130,000. It will also reduce its reliance on fund balance by $200,000, putting in just $250,000 next year.

There will be another budget meeting at the board’s Apr. 6 meeting and adoption of the 2022-23 budget to send to the voters is scheduled for Apr. 19.

Martin Wilbur

Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/