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Hendrick Hudson Releases Budget Season Schedule

MONTROSE, N.Y. - The Hendrick Hudson School Board has released its budget-season schedule.

The Hendrick Hudson School Board will likely begin talking about budgetary matters soon.

The Hendrick Hudson School Board will likely begin talking about budgetary matters soon.

Photo Credit: Jessica Glenza

As in years past, the $70 million budget is broken into several different presentations. 

This is the second year the board will budget within the New York state "tax cap." The tax cap is an equation that limits a district's tax levy, or amount of money that can be raised through real property taxes, to around 2 percent.

Schools Superintendent Brian Monahan said he'd already received around 25 letters and emails from residents concerned about library-program cuts, slashed during the 2011-2012 budget year.

"Residents should expect some hard decisions that are going to generate emotions on both sides," said Monahan. He said he expects the district will have to make a large contribution to the state retirement system, and that health-care costs will probably increase as well.

"Publishing the calendar is a requirement, so that's an administrative piece of it, but the reality is every year budgets get more difficult, and this year in Hendrick Hudson it's going to be a real challenge to hold the taxes down and give the kids what they need," said Monahan.

The Hendrick Hudson School District breaks its budget down into several categories, such as "Athletic Department," "Special Education," and the vast program budget known as the "K-12 Budget Presentation."

According to the schedule, the first presentation is an "Overview of Revenues and Expenses," and a "multi-year budget projection," scheduled for Jan. 9. However, Monahan said discussions of budgetary challenges could begin as soon as the next board meeting. The complete budget season schedule can be found here. 

School budgets are voted on by the public on May 21. If a district chooses to override the New York state tax levy cap, the budget must be approved by a 60 percent supermajority of voyers. If the public rejects a school district's budget proposal twice, the school district is automatically subject to a contingency budget, that means a zero percent increase in spending is automatically imposed. 

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