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PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. With constraints resulting from the statewide 2 percent tax cap, the Pleasantville Union Free School District is looking to the community for help with planning its 2011-12 budget.
"It's an opportunity to be proactive and that whatever comes out of it, it's the community's budget," said Louis Conte, school board member.
The board announced at Tuesday night's board of education meeting that the district will implement what they call a planning and advisory committee (PAC). The PAC is intended as a community volunteer group to assist in studying various activities, reviewing operations within the district, and essentially providing feedback and input to the district about a new budget for the 2012-13 school year.
The PAC will be broken down into eight sub-committees in order to focus on different aspects of the district's budget. These eight committees will be: Bedford Road School, Pleasantville Middle School, Pleasantville High School, special education, athletics, technology, facilities, and central operations.
Superintendent Mary Fox-Alter praised the community and its involvement with school events, such as the back to school nights at each of the three Pleasantville schools. She stressed the importance of keeping the community involved with the school district and its contributions to any possible changes that must be made.
"The real heavy lifting of the budget is done through inquiry and input," Fox-Alter said. "If there's a better way of doing it, we want to hear about it.
The members of each subcommittee will be chosen through an application process. Parents and residents are encouraged to apply for the committee(s) of their choice in an application to be posted on the district website on Oct. 3. Applicants will be chosen for the committees based on factors such as their status within the community, experience in the field, and their motive for serving.
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