The budget for the Brockport Central School District has been approved for 2023-2024, which includes supplies and free meals for all students.
On December 12, 2023, there will be a vote on Proposition for Capital Improvements.
I had three children attend Brockport schools and had to purchase all their school supplies and meals, and that was almost 20 years ago.
Now, I am a senior citizen on Social Security with a fixed income, and should not have to pay for these free supplies and meals.
Voters, compare your 2022 taxes with 2023 taxes. My school taxes have gone up 21 percent, yet Social Security only went up 3.2 percent.
Why should senior citizens have to pay so much? We have already paid our share.
Why is there a second vote, when it should have been done the first time and eliminate the free supplies and meals?
Superintendent Bruno and the School Board need to address this issue.
Michael Mosher
Brockport
BCSD Superintendent responds to questions
First, we thank Mr. Mosher for taking the time to share his concerns. We take concerns and inquiries like these very seriously as it is Brockport Central School District’s fundamental goal to promote transparency in all district-wide decisions. We also thank Westside News for the opportunity to respond.
School supplies are funded by our District’s general fund revenue sources which include taxes as well as state aid and federal aid. Taxes were not increased to cover school supplies. We believe it is important for all our students to have the supplies necessary to succeed in school, therefore we established efficiencies in our budget to cover this expenditure.
The current percentage of our students eligible for free and reduced lunch qualified our District to participate in a federal program called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). This program provides a free breakfast and a free lunch to all students in our District each day. The meal cost is completely paid for through the federal CEP program and New York State aid, leaving no cost to our District or our local taxpayers.
When establishing future budgets and potential tax increases, we thoughtfully factor in the current economy and potential impacts to our taxpayers. For the 2023-2024 school year, we recommended, and the voters approved a 1.98% levy increase. Any individual changes to property taxes (increases or reductions) are due to the function of New York State equalization rates and local assessments, which our District has no control over. Additional information regarding our 2023-24 budget can be found in the Business Department section of our District’s website at www.bcs1.org/Page/1136.
We would like to clarify that there is no second vote taking place for our District’s budget. The vote taking place on December 12, 2023, is for a proposed Capital Improvement Project. New York State school districts are required to bring Capital Project propositions to voters. We are delighted to inform everyone that this project has no local tax impact.
If you are reading this, you likely have seen our 2023 Brockport CSD Capital Improvement Project Brochure insert in this issue of Westside News. The brochure as well as additional information can also be found in the Business Department section of our District’s website at www.bcs1.org/Page/1255. We will be holding a public information meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 28, 2023, in our Hill School Cafetorium.
We appreciate hearing from our residents and having the opportunity to provide accurate and transparent information to our community.
Sean C. Bruno, Superintendent
Brockport Central School District
