Pine Bush approves $119 million budget

By Laura Fitzgerald
Posted 4/24/19

The Pine Bush Central School District approved an approximately $118.77 million budget for a public vote at its last board meeting on April 9, an increase of 2.23 percent.

Totaling $53.9 million, …

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Pine Bush approves $119 million budget

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The Pine Bush Central School District approved an approximately $118.77 million budget for a public vote at its last board meeting on April 9, an increase of 2.23 percent.

Totaling $53.9 million, voters will also vote on two capital improvement projects for infrastructure maintenance and upgrades and athletic improvements.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Michael Pacella said the tax levy for the budget—the amount raised by taxes—would increase by 3.07 percent, staying within the tax cap. The tax levy is $60.05 million, an increase of $1.78 million from last year.

This year’s budget goals were to maintain the strong educational standards of the district within the legal financial constraints; address state standards, maintain and decrease class sizes; minimize out of district special education offerings; and offer other curricular and extracurricular options.

The expansion of foreign language to seventh grade was added on a half time basis to this year’s budget. Students would take the Spanish program every other day for the full year before the full year begins in eighth grade, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Donna Geidel said.

Two Spanish teachers would be added this year. In the 2020-21 school year, an additional two teachers would be added so seventh grade students could take Spanish the whole year.

Another new item on this year’s budget was the addition of a Collaborative Academic Social Emotional Teaching and Learning Environment (CASTLE) program at Pine Bush Elementary School (PBE).

The CASTLE program is for students with severe delays in social emotional regulation and is geared towards bringing up to six students in kindergarten through second grade back to their home district instead of being educated at Boards of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES).

Other program enhancements include one new Advanced Placement Computer Science class, the creation of a varsity girl’s golf team, the addition of Big Brothers/Big Sisters at Pine Bush High School, Crispell Middle School, and PBE; and materials for a new social and emotional learning program in kindergarten through second grade.

Superintendent Tim Mains said the number from the fund balance was scaled from as high as $750,000, as recommended by the board, to $474,000, in order to maintain a fiscally responsible budget. Several recommendations were removed from the budget while still maintaining the programs that facilitate student success.

“In order to lower the impact on fund balance, we took a couple of the recommendations that we had previously made off the table so that we can present to you what we consider to be a fiscally responsible budget,” Mains said.

The majority of the proposed budget—78.8 percent—directly benefits students. Another 10.6 percent is allocated to the capital component, and 10.4 percent is allocated to administrative costs.

Polls are open on May 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Residents of Gardiner and Shawangunk will vote at the Walker Valley Fire House, Crawford and Montgomery residents will vote at the Pine Bush Fire House (Station One), Mount Hope and Wallkill residents will vote at Circleville Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and Mamakating residents will vote in Mamakating Park in Bloomingburg.