Last week Marlboro Superintendent Michael Brooks reiterated that he is proposing a zero percent increase in the budget from the present school year to the 2021-22 school year – a total top line of $58,363,438. He announced that the recently adopted New York State budget will provide more money to Marlboro in foundation aid, which is a significant part of the district’s overall funding.

“Foundation aid has been a sore subject in the state of New York for about a decade because at that time the Governor froze Foundation aid. Districts that were frozen at an adequate level did quite well in the next decade. There were also some districts, Marlboro being one of them, that suffered significant economic loss with the last downturn in the economy and certainly the stored issue of the power plants here in Marlborough.”

Brooks said after the power plant issues, Marlborough lost a third of its property value, “and the Foundation formulae is supposed to account for that and adjust and produce more state aid in about a year or two after those significant types of events. Usually they are not as drastic as a one year change that resulted in two 15% increases in the tax levy.”

Brooks said this year’s New York State budget contains a 3 year phase in of foundation aid. He said beginning in 2021-22 the inequity that Marlboro has experienced in past years in foundation aid, “will be made whole.” From the coming school year through to 2023-24, Marlboro, “will be going from 50.4 percent of our funding level to 100 percent of our appropriate funding level of foundation aid. It is a fantastic piece of news, it’s in law and it’s tremendous.”

Brooks said foundation aid this year came to $7,729,009 and for next year this will increase to $9,587,846. He expects increases in foundation aid will continue in the coming school years, with $12.3 million projected for 2022-23 and $15 million in 2023-24, which finally brings the district to the 100 percent level.

As a result of all of this, Brooks has proposed a $1.1 million reduction [3.03 percent] in next year’s tax levy, bringing the new levy to $35,231,599. He said the 2021-22 budget will not cut any programs, will retain positions already discussed and stabilize the district’s finances for the foreseeable future.
Brooks said the money that accrues from the lower tax levy, “will directly go back to taxpayer’s bills and in no way will that compromise our economic position, whatsoever, because for the first time in my lifetime, our budget from the state’s perspective gives us a three year look ahead. It is quite exciting that we can look at what is already a very healthy school district because of fantastic leadership from boards of education now and in the past as well as keen administrative guidance; we’re in a good place people.”

Brooks highlighted some anticipated increases for next year: $864,586 in salaries/payroll/FICA; $121,094 in Health Insurance costs; $190,800 in the Employee and Teacher Retirement Systems expenses; $66,358 for Transportation and $48,374 for Special Education, however, there is a reduction of $562,358 in the Debt Service.

Brooks said the school board has already directed him to include a number of staffing positions in next year’s budget, pointing out that they are already in the budget and are not newly funded positions. These are for a Social Worker in the Elementary School at $100,000; a K-5 Academic Intervention Services [AIS] position also at the Elementary School at $100,000; a part-time AIS position [.4] at the Middle School for $27,000; and a part time, to be determined, Elementary school teaching position [.4] at $27,000 that will be used where it is needed around the district. In addition, there will be a Bowling Team/Club, depending on the level of partition, that will be part of the Middle and High School experience. The cost is estimated at $6,000 to $8,000 in stipends, fees, uniforms and transportation.

Brooks presented a slide with a breakdown of the required three part budget that shows where the money is allocated in the budget, whether it’s in the administration, programs or in the capital lines. He said the board will be reviewing this in more depth in the coming weeks.

Brooks said they are still watching for any additional retirements that may come in the spring and summer months; the costs for BOCES and the district is in the midst of their annual review of Special Education.

Brooks said there are two new Federal Aid programs that he wants to board to consider and discuss in the future: the ESSER 2 Funds [Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds] that was passed by the Federal government in November 2020 as part of the CARES Act II. Brooks said Marlboro’s allocation from this is $1,865,261. Under a more recently adopted ARP ESSER [American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief] the district is slated to receive $2,788,135 from this stimulus fund.

Brooks is awaiting guidance on what the district can spend these funds on.

“We have some indication that it will be spread out over multiple years and portions of it will be targeted to specific types of expenditures and any of the expenditures cannot have legacy costs. They have to be one-time type of expenses so school districts are not caught off guard when this funding goes away.”

Brooks said the state budget also provides $270,060 of new funding for a full day, 4 year old pre-K program. Presently there are 42 slots that are funded and the district is awaiting clarity on the regulations from the state education department about this program.

Brooks said at the April 22 meeting he will be asking the school board to approve his proposed budget as well as the BOCES budget for the 2021-22 school year.

This final approved budget for 2021-22 will go before the voters on May 18 at the Milton Municipal Center from 6am to 9pm.

In addition, candidates for the school board will be on the ballot.

Back in School
Superintendent Brooks said starting on April 20, 66% of the student body will be attending instruction in person 4 days a week, 24% will attend remotely and 10% will be attending every other day in person using the in-person/remote hybrid model.

“I want to thank our clerical staff, our guidance staff, our administrative staff and everyone that’s stepping up to work on this,” he said. “Thank you teachers for preparing and adjusting for what’s coming. We are so excited to move on to this next phase and I cannot wait to see more kids coming into our hallways. Still a lot of work to do, but we will be ready for April 20.”

Brooks offered a comment that he has made before: “We can do anything, we just can’t do everything and I think we are doing our best to maybe prove that statement wrong. We’re doing a little bit of everything.”