The Spencerport School Board adopted a 2003-04 budget proposal of $52,374,583 at its meeting March 25. This represents a projected tax rate increase of 5.65 percent, which would be the lowest increase in several years.

The budget includes significant reductions in all areas, including academic programming, school operations and administration. Still, the goal of the school board, the administration and the budget advisory committee in developing the budget was to keep as much of the core academic program intact as possible. So, among other things, Reading Recovery, Extended Day Kindergarten and school counselors have been retained.

Several issues impacted the budget development process this year: a significant reduction in state aid; increased middle school and high school enrollment; and staff increases related to the capital project, which will be complete by this September.

"We did not want our community to pay for the loss of state aid through even higher taxes," says Superintendent Phillip Langton. He will be talking about the proposed budget with groups throughout the community in the next couple of months. In addition, there will be a community-wide Budget Hearing and Board Candidate Information Night on May 13 at 7 p.m. at the Administration Building.

Residents will vote on the budget on May 20 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. There will be three voting locations: Munn Elementary School at 2333 Manitou Road; Taylor Elementary School at 399 Ogden Parma Town Line Road; and the Administration Building at 71 Lyell Avenue.