Energy Performance Contract

An Energy Performance project was approved by a town vote in May of 2021 as part of the master capital plan for SCSD. After completing an energy audit of all buildings, Johnson Controls replaced and enhanced the district’s energy infrastructure, thereby reducing the district’s carbon footprint.

The estimated annual savings in energy costs and estimated building aid will pay for the installation of all the updated equipment with no fiscal impact on taxpayers.

$0

Full-time Employees (FTE)

Since 2012, there has been a decline in student enrollment due to the decrease in birth rates in Somers; also a nationwide trend. With fewer students comes a reduction in faculty and staff, which the district continues to manage through attrition. For the 2023-24 school year, the district will save approximately $500,000 by not replacing employees who retired or left the district.

Reserve Accounts

The maintenance and upkeep of district facilities is largely funded through reserve accounts (savings accounts). Through this responsible savings plan, the district has avoided the need to bond for approximately $10.2 million, or $900,000 a year in tax increases.

$3.2 million Safety and Security Project

$7 million Athletic Facilities Upgrades

Universal Pre-Kindergarten

In 2021, a Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) class of 18 was started at Primrose Elementary School. The following year, a second classroom was added, providing free preschool to a total of 42 Somers students.

In the fall of 2023, the district will add a third and fourth classroom, giving 84 families access to free UPK.

$13,000

Savings per Child

Saves families over $13,000 per child in preschool tuition.

100% Funded

100% funded with New York State funds.

Maximizes available space in Somers schools

Revenue Opportunities

The district is using declining enrollment to bring in extra revenue. Extra space in all four buildings is leased to education programs run by PNW BOCES, generating $145,000 in revenue each year.

$145,000 REVENUE

The expenditure per student in SCSD is commensurate with the amount spent per student in area districts. SCSD has met the goal of staying within plus or minus one standard deviation of the average spent on each student among all PNW BOCES districts. The standard deviation for PNW BOCES districts is $4175*.

*Last available NYSED data available.

$32,569 per student

Focused on Results Maximum Tax Levy Limit History

$33,418 per student

The district has stayed within the allowable tax cap since the cap's inception in 2012, and will continue to do so for the 2023-24 school year. In three out of the last five years, the district designed a budget that came in under the allowable tax cap, saving Somers taxpayers $2.6 million.

Taxpayers saved $2.6 million

Responsible Planning

As part of our continuous efforts to maintain our physical spaces inside and outside of our buildings, we keep a Master Capital Plan. That plan is a detailed schedule, looking many years in advance, of projects that will keep the district in good shape, physically and fiscally, and is updated every five years.

In 2025, the district will be asking the community to vote on a new capital bond. This will be requested at the same time that a previous bond will be paid off, coming at no increased cost to taxpayers.

Safety and security measures

Paving, concrete, hardscape

Flexible spaces - for small and large group activities

Community spaces for students and adults to collaborate

Applied learning spaces - for active learning

Outdoor spaces

Environment – for more natural light in our schools

SCSD’s goal is to have no increase in property taxes for the bond the district anticipates requesting in May of 2025.

SCSD has been carefully saving money in a capital reserve fund and will ask the community for approval to access the $7 million dollars in May 2023. Using a reserve fund to pay for projects instead of taking out a bond saves taxpayers more than $2 million in interest payments.

Research shows that for each dollar invested in schools there is a $20 increase in home values.