2021 Warwick Budget Newsletter

WARWICK VALLEY

SCHOLAR B

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D

G

E

T

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Budget Delivers 0% Tax Levy Increase

Annual vote on district’s spending plan set for May 18th

MAY 2021

2021 -22

Budget Vote Snapshot VOTE DATE

May 18, 2021 Polls open 7 a.m. - 9 p.m.

PROPOSED BUDGET

$98,620,042 TAX LEVY INCREASE

0%

SPENDING INCREASE On Tuesday, May 18th, Warwick Valley voters will consider a $98.6 million budget for the 2021-22 school year that provides no tax levy increase – 0% – from this current school year.

The District has always kept within the allowable tax cap increase. In fact, this will be the sixth time in eight years that the District’s tax levy will fall below the tax cap.

The proposed 0% tax levy increase is below the District’s calculated tax cap increase by more than $592,000. In all, the proposed $98,620,042 budget would increase spending by 4.43%, or $4,179,648 from this current year’s plan.

The 5.5% increase in state foundation aid allows the District to move toward fully reopening its schools in September, resuming regular programming while not increasing taxes.

The proposed spending plan also reflects the

District’s budgetary goals to preserve student opportunities while staying within or below the tax cap threshold. Revenue is expected to remain stable with the significant increase in state foundation aid over the current year.

The District will also use $1.95 million in fund balance and reserves to balance the budget.

“We continue to recognize these are difficult economic times for our community, so we set a goal to preserve our programs while also having no increase in our tax levy,” Board President Sharon Davis said. “The District forecasts a modest rise in student enrollment over the next five years, so receiving the increase in state foundation aid is critical.”

Voters will also elect three members to the Board of Education and decide on a bus proposition (page 3). Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

20 02 -0 20 3 03 -0 20 4 04 -0 20 5 05 -0 20 6 06 -0 20 7 07 -0 20 8 08 -0 20 9 09 -1 20 0 10 -1 20 1 11 -1 20 2 12 -1 20 3 13 -1 20 4 14 -1 20 5 15 -1 20 6 16 -1 20 7 17 -1 20 8 18 -1 20 9 19 -2 20 0 20 -2 20 1 21 -2 2

Percent Change in Tax Levy

WVCSD Tax Levy History 2002-03 to Present

4.43%

SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS See page 3

BUS PROPOSITION See page 3

POLLING LOCATIONS District 1 Pine Island Firehouse

District 2 Dorothy C. Wilson Education Center

District 3 Kings School Not sure where to vote?

Contact Jen Bengel, Elections Coordinator, at jbengel@wvcsd.org or call 845-987-3000, ext. 10530

WARWICK VALLEY SCHOLAR

2

REVENUES

THREE-PART BUDGET 2021-22 $76,326,176

$ Change $3,797,476

$9,637,661

$9,772,566

$134,905

Capital

$12,274,033

$12,521,300

$247,267

TOTAL

$94,440,394 $98,620,042 $4,179,648

Program

State Aid: 28.28%

Local Other: Sources: 2.10% 4.14%

2021-22

Program Costs (77.39%): include salaries and benefits of all certified faculty and staff, teacher aides, monitors and nurses as well as in-service training, library costs, transportation, co-curricular programs and interscholastic athletics.

Administrative Costs (9.91%): include salaries and benefits of all professional staff members who spend 50% or more of their time in administration, finance and supervision. This portion also includes clerical staff, public information, curriculum development and supervision, research, planning and evaluation, legal services and school board-related costs.

Capital Costs (12.70%): include operations and maintenance, security, budgeted capital projects, tax refunds, principal and interest on debt and installment purchases and leases.

PROJECTED REVENUES

2020-21 Adopted Budget

2021-22

2021-22 $ Change Proposed From Prior Budget School Year

Local Sources (4.14% of proposed budget) Real Property Tax Items Charges For Services Interest Earnings Use Of Property Refund Of Prior Year Expense Medicaid Miscellaneous

$252,466 $2,699,755 $130,000 $477,843 $375,000 $45,000 $105,000 $4,085,064

$1,758 $235,592 $1,822 ($55,422) $10,000 0 0 $193,750

Foundation Aid BOCES Aid Building Aid Text, Software, Library Aid Computer Hardware, Tech Aid Transportation Aid Public/Private Excess Cost Aid Other

$13,569,350 $16,842,198 $1,632,085 $1,951,323 $3,148,177 $3,670,522 $296,566 $292,410 $50,844 $51,922 $2,617,500 $2,750,000 $1,381,379 $1,548,424 $780,717 $780,717

$3,272,848 $319,238 $522,345 ($4,156) $1,078 $132,500 $167,045 0

Subtotal

$23,476,618 $27,887,516

$4,410,898

Subtotal

$250,708 $2,464,163 $128,178 $533,265 $365,000 $45,000 $105,000 $3,891,314

EXPENDITURES

2020-21 $72,528,700

Administrative

School Tax Levy: 65.48%

www.warwickvalleyschools.com

State Sources (28.28% of proposed budget)

Other Sources (2.10% of proposed budget)

Instruction: 57.53%

Benefits, Debt Service: 29.31%

General Transportation: Support: 8.78% 4.37%

PROPOSED EXPENDITURES

2020-21 Adopted Budget

2021-22 $ Change Proposed From Prior Budget School Year

General Support (8.78% of proposed budget) Board of Education Central Adminstration Finance Support Services Central Services Special Items

$104,074 $374,408 $1,048,416 $469,700 $5,327,327 $1,216,268

$88,427 $442,003 $1,062,204 $359,200 $5,499,417 $1,211,768

($15,647) $67,595 $13,788 ($110,500) $172,090 ($4,500)

Subtotal

$8,540,193

$8,663,019

$122,826

Instruction (57.53% of proposed budget) Admin & Curriculum Development Teaching - Regular School Teaching - Special Programs Teaching - Special Schools Instructional Media Pupil Personnel Services

$3,150,727 $26,518,019 $4,254,878 $465,083 $2,505,462 $16,505,911

$3,468,311 $27,762,579 $4,695,077 $471,167 $2,815,343 $17,523,501

$317,584 $1,244,560 $440,199 $6,084 $309,881 $1,017,590

Subtotal

$53,400,080 $56,735,978

$3,335,898

Transportation (4.37% of proposed budget) $4,255,358

$4,310,890

$55,532

Benefits & Debt Service (29.31% of proposed budget) Employee Benefits Debt Service Interfund Transfers/Misc

$22,173,913 $22,863,469 $5,910,350 $5,886,186 $160,500 $160,500

$689,556 ($24,164) 0

$25,000

Subtotal

$28,244,763

$28,910,155

$665,392

$100,000

($50,000)

TOTAL

$94,440,394 $98,620,042

$4,179,648

$25,000 $200,000

$25,000 $100,000

0 ($100,000)

Appropriated Fund Balance

$1,400,000

$1,400,000

0

Subtotal

$2,500,000

$2,075,000

($425,000)

$29,867,932 Subtotal School Tax Levy 2021-22 (65.48% of total) $64,572,462

$34,047,580

$4,179,648

$64,572,462

$0

TOTAL

$98,620,042

$4,179,648

Interfund Transfers Appropriated ERS Appropriated TRS Appropriated Unemployment Appropriated Employee Benefits Accrued Liability Reserve (EBLAR) Appropriated Workers Compensation Appropriated Debt Service

$125,000 $400,000 $200,000

$125,000 $200,000 $100,000

0 ($200,000) ($100,000)

$150,000

$94,440,394

$25,000

MEETour ALUMNI

WARWICK VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

ISABELLA ZAYAS

CLASS OF 2019 Associate of Childhood Education, SUNY Orange, Graduating Spring, 2021 Bachelor of Childhood Education, SUNY New Paltz, Attending Fall 2021

MALCOLM BOONE

CLASS OF 2008 Third-grade Teacher, Rabun GapNacoochee School, Rabun Gap, Georgia “I always think back to the Warwick teachers that went above and beyond to ensure I grasped the content, whether that meant staying after school or coming in early. That is something that inspired me to give back to the future generations coming up behind me. I’ve taken all that I learned from my parents pushing me, all that Warwick teachers provided for me, and that ultimately inspired me to want to give back. My aim is to provide a balance of being firm while teaching the skills of everyday life; meditation, creating an affirming community; and giving students the space where it is OK to make mistakes.”

JASON BOONE

CLASS OF 2003 Senior Account Executive, Thnks, Nashville, Tennessee “When we moved to Warwick, I was a freshman.

I learned quickly that I needed to pull my weight.

Warwick was the first district to challenge me.

That quest to be a better student led me to excel in the classroom. If I didn’t have that prep from Warwick, I think college would have been a different scenario for me. I was also part of a peer mediation group in Warwick. That for me was game changing. That mentality of being able to solve problems and listen to both sides of the story and coming to a resolution was superbeneficial and something I will take with me for the rest of my life.”

SHANNA WOOD

CLASS OF 2013

Urgent Care Physician Assistant, Middletown Medical PC, Middletown

“I had no idea what I wanted to do in my senior year of high school. For my volunteer hours, Director of Guidance Mary Fox got me into volunteering at one of the elementary schools as a teaching assistant. I never thought about teaching at the time, but I just loved it. I loved being there and being with the kids. One day, this girl from Mexico joined our class but did not speak English. The teacher invited me to help this girl. We challenged each other and I remember having the best time and I thought, ‘This is what I want to do with the rest of my life.’

ROBERTO (RJ) ZAYAS

CLASS OF 2015

KIONA HOYEN, R.N.

CLASS OF 2013 Floor Nurse, Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, New York City “I definitely think my work ethic developed from the emotional and academic support from my Warwick teachers. They pushed me and encouraged me. They taught me how to do well in college and in my career and to stick it out when things get tough. We see a lot of patients in the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Unit with Sickle Cell and, on the oncology side, we see a lot of patients with different types of cancers.

So it is stressful and mentally heavy, but it is definitely rewarding. These kids are here so long that it is easy to make a relationship with them and have some fun around the medical stuff that isn’t so pleasant. I now have 12 new best friends from the ages of 7 to 14.”

Sales Development Representative, Signal AI, New York City, and Voiceover Actor “The best thing Warwick gave me was the opportunity to try multiple things at the same time. I liked being involved in a lot of things in school and Warwick afforded me that opportunity. I was able to perform in every school play while I was also doing three years of baseball. The staff in the District allowed me, and even helped me, to be as versatile as I could and be open to new experiences without feeling like I was locked into one or two. It really expanded my horizons in a variety of different ways and just made me who I am today.”

“Everything happens for a reason. I hurt my knee in the fall softball season of my senior year and needed surgery, which led to lots of physical therapy visits, then working in a physical therapy office, to where I am now – treating people as a physician assistant, treating a variety of conditions in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and treating patients with COVID, among other things. I was most active in sports in school and Warwick had great programs where I was on the varsity team in ski racing and softball all through high school. I was in the music program as well, and earlier on I was involved in Odyssey of the Mind. I learned a lot about discipline and time management from all of the opportunities Warwick had to offer. You’re so well-rounded coming out as a graduate.”

MARISSA SARBAK

CLASS OF 2011 Entertainment Anchor, Newsday; News Reporter/Anchor, News 12 “As a News Reporter and Anchor for News 12, I cover national and regional news, but focus on the local stories that matter most to our community. I am also Newsday’s Entertainment Anchor, where I cover entertainment and lifestyle stories. I had quite a few inspiring teachers from Warwick, but one stands out to this day – Mr. Mita, who taught Critical Thinking. The class, and Mr. Mita, changed my life and my way of thinking. Mr. Mita taught us how to understand different perspectives and different cultures, and I quite frequently reference what he taught us when covering stories and interviewing people of all backgrounds in my profession. Mr. Mita encouraged us to challenge our own thoughts, and I’m thankful I had this opportunity at such a young age.”

WARWICK VALLEY

POINTS of PRIDE 10

ACRE SOLAR FIELD WITH 7,888 PANELS, GENERATING 2.4 MEGAWATTS

95%

4-YEAR GRADUATION RATE

1971

YEAR OF THE FIRST HOMECOMING PARADE — OUR ANNUAL TRADITION

4

GREEN RIBBON SCHOOLS

4 of 5

99

COLLEGE CREDITS OFFERED

2

K-2

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAMS

YEARS AS A NEW YORK STATE RECOGNITION HIGH SCHOOL

25k+

WARWICK VALLEY

CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT P.O. Box 595 Warwick, New York 10990-0595 (845) 987-3000 www.warwickvalleyschools.com

TUITION-PAYING STUDENTS

3

VOLUNTEER HOURS PERFORMED BY EACH GRADUATING CLASS

WALLKILL VALLEY VIRTUAL ART SHOW WINNERS

8

MILE CROSS COUNTRY COURSE

97

200+

NEW COURSES SINCE 2014

3.09

STUDENTS HAVE RECEIVED THE BILITERACY SEAL IN THE LAST 3 YEARS

YEARS TEAMS QUALIFIED FOR ODYSSEY OF THE MIND WORLD FINALS

4

COLLEGE PARTNERS: ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ST. CLOUD, UALBANY & SUNY ORANGE

43

BLUE RIBBON ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

GRADE LEVELS OF STUDENTS ATTENDING SCHOOL ALL YEAR DURING THE PANDEMIC

22

6

YEARS IN A ROW AS “BEST COMMUNITY FOR MUSIC EDUCATION”

4

1

COURSES MAKE UP THE BIOMEDICAL PROGRAM

LITTLE BEAR OBSERVATORY

@wvcsd

@WVCSDSUPT

Warwick Valley Television

3

WARWICK VALLEY SCHOLAR

www.warwickvalleyschools.com

PROPOSITION 2 PURCHASE FIVE BUSES, ONE SERVICE VEHICLE

SCHOOL PROGRAMS PRESERVED WITH 0% TAX LEVY INCREASE

State foundation aid will grow by 5.5% for the 2021-22 school year

Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, May 18th, to consider a $98,620,042 budget that calls for a 0% increase in the tax levy.

The Warwick Valley Central School District is in a unique budget position for the 2021-22 school year, one that will benefit both school programs and taxpayers. Due to the 5.5% increase in state foundation aid, the District is able to preserve programs with no additional increase in the tax levy. The District will mainly address returning student offerings to pre-pandemic levels.

During last year’s budget process, Governor Cuomo provided stern warnings that New York State aid would decrease as much as 20% during the 2020-21 school year. Warwick took those words seriously and made difficult decisions in the form of significant reductions to programs and staff to meet those lower aid projections.

The District made nearly $3.8 million in reductions last year, including $1.97 million from personnel, $685,000 from employee benefits, and $541,000 from BOCES services.

These reductions were beneficial to the current school year as the District had incurred new expenses to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic, including PPE, the opening of Pine Island Elementary, hiring additional staff, cleaning materials and equipment, and upgrading ventilation systems. These expenses were all related to getting the youngest learners into school five days a week and all of the District’s students into the hybrid model from the start of the school year.

“The reductions for this current school year, although very difficult at the time, were a necessary step as we anticipated deep cuts from state aid that fortunately didn’t materialize. We needed that money for expenses related to reopening our schools safely,” said Superintendent Dr. David Leach.

The increased school aid for 2021-22 will enable the District to maintain staff, student programs, COVID-19 safety protocols, and provide property tax relief with a 0% tax levy increase.

DISTRICT WILL MAKE POLLS COVID-COMPLIANT This year’s vote will return to a normal voting process.

Residents will return to polling places to vote or submit mail-in ballots, as per the standard procedure of previous years.

The District will implement safe COVID-19 practices at the polling places. Mask wearing and social distancing will be enforced. There will also be hand sanitizer available and high-contact areas will be cleaned regularly.

VOTE SAFE

Voters will also consider a proposition to purchase five buses and one service vehicle for the Transportation Department at a maximum cost of $550,000. The District would use $250,000 of its bus reserve fund to help offset the cost.

About 60% of the cost — $328,915 — would be returned to the District in state transportation aid.

Therefore, no additional taxes would be needed to purchase the buses at a net cost of $219,277.

The proposed purchase includes two 65-passenger propane buses, one 65-passenger gas bus, one 21-passenger wheelchair micro bus, one 29-passenger micro bus, and one bus maintenance service vehicle.

It is important to replace buses every year. The District transports students over 86 square miles, so it is important to follow the District’s bus vehicle replacement plan and replace buses annually that are older and have very high mileage. Nearly 38% of the buses in the fleet are over 10 years old and 28% have over 150,000 miles. The buses that will be replaced are 16 years old and have logged between 174,000 to 209,000 miles.

Bus Purchase (maximum cost)

$548,192

Reserve

$250,000

Net Cost (Financed)

$219,277

Transportation Aid (60%)

$328,915

No Additional Tax Increase

$0

2021-22 SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES Voters will also elect three members to the Warwick Valley Board of Education.

Board Members are unpaid and serve three-year terms. The candidates, in the order they will appear on the ballot, are: n Joe Melder

n Lynn Lillian (i)

n Sharon Davis (i)

n Bill Fanos

n Tiffany Howell

n David Eaton (i)

n Bob Larsen

(i) = incumbent

WARWICK VALLEY

Standard Mail Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 9011 Monsey, NY 10952

CENTR AL SCHOOL DISTRICT

P.O. Box 595, Warwick, New York 10990-0595

Dr. David Leach

Superintendent of Schools Board of Education Sharon Davis, President Keith Parsons, Vice President David Eaton Eilleen Gagliano John Garcia Denise Ginley Robert Howe Lynn Lillian Dory Masefield

4

ECRWSS Postal Customer

WARWICK VALLEY SCHOLAR 2021- 2 2

Budget Vote Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Absentee ballots are available for voters who are unable to vote in person due to illness, physical disability, hospitalization or travel.

An absentee ballot application must be completed in order to receive an absentee ballot.

To request your ballot application, contact District Clerk, Susan Laroe at slaroe@wvcsd.org or 845-987-3000, ext. 10511.

If mailed to you, your application must be received

by May 10. If you plan to pick up an application and ballot in person you may do so until May 17. Absentee ballots must be returned to the District office by 5 p.m., May 18.

School District Budget Notice Total Budgeted Amount, Not Including Separate Propositions

www.warwickvalleyschools.com

Budget Adopted for the 2020-21 School Year $94,440,394

Budget Proposed for the 2021-22 School Year

Contingency Budget for the 2021-22 School Year

$98,620,042

$98,306,042

$4,179,648

$3,865,648

Percentage Increase/Decrease in Proposed Budget

4.43%

4.09%

Change in the Consumer Price Index

1.23%

Increase/Decrease for the 2021-22 School Year

A. Proposed Levy to Support the Total Budgeted Amount B. Levy to Support Library Debt, if Applicable

$64,143,012

$64,146,212

$429,450

$426,250

C. Levy for Non-Excludable Propositions, if Applicable**

$0

$0

D. Total Tax Cap Reserve Amount Used to Reduce Current Year Levy

$0

$0

$64,572,462

$64,572,462

$2,547,674

$1,997,109

G. School Tax Levy Limit, Excluding Levy for Permissible Exclusions

$62,197,280

$63,167,998

H. Total Proposed School Year Tax Levy, Excluding Levy to Support Library Debt and/or Permissible Exclusions (E – B – F + D)

$61,595,338

$62,149,103

I. Difference: G – H (Negative Value Requires 60.0% Voter Approval – See Note Below Regarding Separate Propositions)**

$601,942

$1,018,895

E. Total Proposed School Year Tax Levy (A + B + C – D) F. Total Permissible Exclusions

Administrative Component

$64,572,462

$9,637,661

$9,772,566

$9,722,566

Program Component

$72,528,700

$76,326,176

$76,220,176

Capital Component

$12,274,033

$12,521,300

$12,363,300

$94,440,394

$98,620,042

$98,306,042

Total

*In the case of a contingency budget, the following would be deleted: $158,000 from Capital expenses, $50,000 from Administrative expenses, and $106,000 from Program expenses.

To vote on the annual budget for the fiscal Description Amount year 2021-22 by the qualified voters of the **The proposition at right Bus proposition $550,000 Warwick Valley Central School District, is a separate proposition Orange County, New York, will be held at not included in the the Pine Island Fire House, Dorothy C Wilson total budgeted amount.

Under the Budget Proposed Education Center at the Middle School and for the 2021-22 School Year Kings School, in said District on Tues., May 18, 2021, between the hours of 7 a.m.

1 Estimated Basic STAR Exemption Savings $754 and 9 p.m., prevailing time, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting 1 The basic school tax relief (STAR) exemption is authorized by section 425 of the Real Property Tax Law. ballot or machine.