Notes from the Superintendent

An article in the River Journal claiming that the cumulative increase in county/town, village, and school taxes for 2007/2008 will range from 18 to 21% for Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow residents has provided math teachers with an excellent illustration for use in responding to the classic question from their students … “When will I ever need to use this stuff?” The fact is that if three tax bills each increase by 6 to 7%, your total tax bill will increase by 6 to 7%. While such an increase may seem high in its own right, an additional math calculation involving the state’s new middle class STAR program turns out to be very important. Net 2007-2008 school tax payments after STAR deductions for owners of homes in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow with mid-range or lower valuations whose combined incomes are $175,000 or less will be lower than their net school tax payments in 2006-2007 after STAR deductions. For many homeowners, this year’s school tax math will add up in their favor!

0 Tax Increase Impact Scenario of New STAR program for 2007-08

Here is some more information on the new STAR program:

The annual budget vote will be coming up on May 15. Our budget publication is available in hard copy at various public locations throughout the community and as a link on our district web site. The final budget proposal was review and adopted by the Board of Education at their April 12 meeting. The PowerPoint presentation for that evening is posted on our web site.

Comparative data shows that our school district operates very efficiently on a cost-per-pupil basis by regional standards. It also reflects the reality that the education inflation index (the cost of simply continuing programs and services at current levels for another year) is close to 7% for our region. The proposed budget would allow our district to continue offering programs and services that meet local and state standards. It reflects an acknowledgment that our capacity to meet this goal depends upon maintaining a staffing commitment that accommodates our student enrollment numbers as they continue to grow. Quite simply, reducing our budget would require reducing staff, which translates to larger class sizes and fewer program options

I invite anyone with questions or concerns to attend the Budget Hearing scheduled for May 3 or to contact me directly.

Extensive use of the district’s athletics fields by hundreds of children involved in recreational soccer, football, and baseball, as well as student athletes, has damaged our fields and resulted in unsafe playing conditions. Restoring and then properly maintaining fields through a natural turf approach would require us to reduce the use of our fields by local recreation programs and to schedule periodic recovery intervals for each field. Synthetic turf surfaces would provide versatile fields and safe playing conditions for both community recreation and school use. A synthetic surface allows more frequent use of each field than would be possible with natural turf and would extend fall and spring playing seasons since they are less impacted by weather than natural turf fields.

A $3,644,000 proposition on the May budget ballot seeks authorization to install a synthetic turf surface for the lower field at Washington Irving School and for the main playing field at Sleepy Hollow High School. Additional expenses included in the project budget beyond the field surface itself are limited to necessary equipment, such as goal posts and maintenance equipment. Lighting for the main field at Sleepy Hollow will be an option if sufficient funds are remaining after the turf installation expenses are covered. It would extend the opportunities to use the field, particularly during the late fall and early spring seasons.

This recommendation was preceded by a review of athletics facilities available in both villages as well as on school grounds. Click here to view the athletics facilities report that was presented to the Board of Education in January.