POUGHKEEPSIE – The Poughkeepsie City School District has presented a $108 million spending plan and is asking voters to approve it on May 18.
This past week the Board of Education unanimously approved the budget. In addition to voting on that on May 18, residents will elect two members to the Board of Education. The approved members will serve three-year terms.
The proposed budget will increase the tax levy by 1.4 percent, according to School Superintendent Dr. Eric Rosser, which is below the 3.48 percent state tax cap.
Rosser’s budget includes the restoration of four assistant principal positions in elementary schools, hiring two custodians, and the addition of a bilingual communications position, which is a shared program with the City of Poughkeepsie government. The bilingual position is slated to assist both the city and school district in making sure that vital information is disseminated to the Spanish-speaking population.
The spending plan will allow the district to pay off its $1.5 million obligation for the BOCES capital project without borrowing the money, which would lead to increased debt.
School district Chief Operations Officer William Hogan explained that steps taken in this budget will help future district budgets. “We are being very proactive from am management standpoint.” He noted that the original plan called for paying off two BOCES loans this year but was altered to stay under the tax cap. “It was determined that it would be better to pay one this year and the other next year.”
