Voters in the Kendall School District will be asked to approve a $12,899,191 budget on June 3. The budget figure represents no increase over last year's figures, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael O'Laughlin said. "A zero percent budget increase is incredible to me," he said. "We've offset all of the increases with reductions at various levels."

The budget carries with it an increase of 6.69 percent tax levy. Before the state legislature added funds back into the district's budgets, a homeowner in the Kendall district with a home assessed at $72,000, who takes advantage of the STAR exemption would have seen an increase of $80 on their annual tax bill. With the additional funds from the legislature, that same homeowner will see a $61 increase in their annual bill, if the budget is ratified by voters. If approved, taxpayers will see an estimated tax rate of $26.74/$1,000 of assessed valuation. Last year's tax rate was $25.27 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

O'Laughlin said there have been 16 staff reductions across various levels within the district. "We certainly feel the taxpayers have been hit hard, we're conscious of that and have tried to address that in this budget."

Kendall officials face the same increases in BOCES handicapped service fees, health insurance rate hikes, and early retirement benefit packages that other districts are facing when they put their budgets together. Salaries, wages and benefits account for more than 65 percent of the total budget; out of district handicapped tuition to BOCES accounts for an additional 11 percent while debt service, other BOCES services, supplies and textbooks, utilities, service, rentals and transportation make up the rest of the budget.

Under the 2003-2004 budget Kendall plans to continue offering enrichment and accelerated courses for students, school security and make textbook purchases. O'Laughlin explained the district will continue its transition program for seventh graders who are coming into the high school. "We have the seventh graders in a separate wing and have teachers specially trained to help them make the transition," he explained. "Of the students in the transition program, 66 percent of them are on the high honor roll and discipline problems are down."

The district also plans to expand its academic intervention services, continue to offer the teacher/mentor program and continue with offering the academic centers so students can come in after school and get additional help with math, science or social studies.

The district's facilities project that was approved in June 2000 will not affect the budget figures, he said, because it came in under budget. "We're going to place the money that came in under budget into a reserve fund for any capital projects."

Also on the ballot will be a proposition that would allow for spending up to $70,000 to purchase a 1.6 acre parcel of land at 1941 Kendall Road. "This purchase opens up the campus so we will be able to go directly from one school to another without going out on the roads," O'Laughlin said. "We've negotiated a price of $62,500 and we have the money in a reserve fund. We're asking the taxpayers to approve a transfer of funds for the purchase … it's money we already have."

There is one open Board of Education seat. Candidates for the five-year term are: incumbent David Ergott and Edward Gaesser.

Voting will take place at the Kendall Elementary School from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, June 3.