It appears officials from Jamestown Public Schools will once again have their work cut out or them in finalizing next year’s budget.
The 2013-14 state aid run for Jamestown Public Schools, as proposed in the governor’s budget that was released in January.
When governor Andrew Cuomo released his initial budget in January, the projected total state funding for Jamestown was 53,527,000 – a decrease of about $2.7 million compared to the current school year, with much of that loss coming by way of building aid funding. As a result, the district was left with a budget gap of $1.9 million.
During the most recent school board meeting on March 19, Superintendent Daniel “Deke” Kathman had said he was hoping that the final state budget – which will be finalized today by the state assembly – would help to close the budget gap.
Earlier this week the final school aid runs were released by the Senate and Assembly and it’s not looking promising for Jamestown. The latest numbers show that Jamestown will be getting just over $53,659,000 – just $130,000 more than what was in the governor’s budget. A far cry from the $1.9 million that was needed to close the budget gap.
The final 2013-14 state aid run for Jamestown Public Schools, released this week.
That means the district will still have to close a budget gap estimated to be $1.7 million, and to do so, it will have to make cuts to the budget – likely in the area of staffing – or increase it’s tax rate – or a combination of the two.
Kathman and assistant Superintendent or Administration Dale Weatherlow will begin exploring all options next week. They will then present those options to the school board during its next meeting on April 9. The school board has until the end of April to finalize its budget. A public hearing on the spending plan will be May 14 at Persell School and the budget vote will be May 21.
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