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"Our enrollment is dropping," said Brian Monahan, interim schools superintendent. "The classes will not exist for them to teach," he said.
"This would keep the level of education we have, with fewer teachers," said Monahan.
The 2013-2014 preliminary budget calls for a 2.61 percent increase in spending, to $72,444,044. The 2012-2013 budget is $70,603,156.
A budget increase of that size would stay within the property tax cap, which is tied to the tax levy. The tax levy is the amount of revenue a district raises through real property taxes. Each district has a unique cap that is determined through a complex equation handed down by the state. The tax cap for the Hendrick Hudson School District is 1.75 percent.
In order to present a preliminary budget, several assumptions were made. First, the preliminary budget assumes state aid will increase by $100,000, or a 2.2 percent increase.
The preliminary budget also assumes the Teacher Retirement System contribution will increase from 11.8 percent to 15.7 percent, or about $908,000.
A part-time library position was added back into the budget, a .4 full-time equivalent. Controversially, 1.4 full-time equivalent librarian positions were cut from the 2012-2013 budget, leaving Hen Hud elementary schools without librarians.
This proposal would restore a library two full days per week to the elementary schools. Alice Gottlieb, superintendent for curriculum, said a current three-day-per-week librarian, Sherry Lutwyche, would likely take on the additional two days.
The budget also uses $1.1 million from the district's fund balance. The measure was specifically questioned by board member Carson Jacobs, who said the board was "talking last year, about starting to build up the fund balance again."
"I'm hoping we don't get any major expenses this year," said Enrique Catalan, superintendent for finance.
Board of Education President Mary-Pat Briggi said a budget conversation would be held at the district office, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 16. The district office is at 61 Trolley Road, Montrose.
Asking for public input, Briggi said, "We beg it, rather than have people get to the end of the road and say 'We didn't know.'"
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