Holley school board adopts budget

There will be no staff cuts as part of the Holley Central School budget for 2002-2003, school Business Administrator Ted Welch said. "We were able to put the budget together without negatively affecting staffing," he said.

The district will be moving its sixth grade students to the elementary school to create room in the high school for the district to bring back its BOCES students. "We're going to be teaching them within the district rather than sending them to BOCES," he said. "That move will cut about $1 million off our BOCES cost."

Welch said the budget isn't looking bad this year considering the fact the district is taking a 6.95 percent decrease in state aid and the "building aid fiasco." As part of the state aid package, the state education department refigured building aid costs and amortization periods for the schools. The effect of their recalculations saved the state money but placed more of a burden on tax payers to pick up the slack. "We went to the voters in the early 1990s with a proposal, they voted on it, have been paying for it and now we have to go back and change what they are paying because of the state's recalculations."

The board voted on a $14,758,730 budget on April 9. It reflects a 1.42 percent increase over last year's figures, Welch said. The tax rate will be $23.51 per thousand of assessed valuation, a 98 cent per thousand increase over the previous year, he said.

Last year Holley received $7,947,755 in state aid. This year they are looking to receive $8,090,396, according to figures released by the state division of the budget.

Budget brochures will be mailed to residents in the next week, Welch said. There is a public hearing scheduled for May 7 on the budget proposal and voting is set for May 21.

"I think the budget protects our educational programs and helped us avoid layoffs," Welch explained. "Considering the position the state has put us in, I think this is a sound budget."