PLEASANTVILLE — City taxpayers will see a bump in their school tax bills next year as the Board of Education approved a $94 million budget for next year with no reductions in staff for the first time in three years.
School officials said they are in a much different situation this spring than last spring, the year before that, and before that.
“Absolutely. We have no (reductions in force) this year,” school Business Administrator Elisha Thompkins said Friday, thanking the school board for its support of the 2020-21 school budget.
Next year’s budget includes a 2% increase in the local school tax levy, translating to a 5.6-cent increase in the school tax rate or a $56 annual school tax increase for a home worth $100,000. The school tax bill does not include municipal or county taxes.
The 2020-21 budget also includes a $1.5 million increase in state aid for next school year.
According to his presentation during the board’s virtual meeting and public hearing on the budget last week, Thompkins said the district operating budget has increased to $81.9 million from $76 million due to higher costs for personnel, salary and benefits, and equipment, but also for capital upgrades to the Leeds Avenue and Washington Avenue schools, which are in need of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning replacements.
Thompkins said the district will upgrade its math and science programs, and spend on its one-to-one Chromebooks initiative by purchasing more of the laptops next year for students.
While the general fund levy increased, the district saw a decrease in its debt service tax levy, which was reduced in part because the district made its final lease payment for the South Main Street School, Thompkins said.
Thompkins said legal costs continue to be a problem.
“We have a lot of lawsuits,” he said, adding the hiring of in-house legal counsel Karyn White last year has helped reduce the overall number of lawsuits from staff.
Another lingering financial hurdle for Pleasantville will be its school lunch deficit, which has been noted as one reason the district continues to have state financial oversight. The deficit, as of January when the school district presented its audit, was $329,481. Thompkins said there is no movement on the debt at this time because the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the district’s ability to sell meals.
“I don’t see the deficit being reduced. In fact, it may climb this year,” Thompkins said.
