New Rochelle Schools Ask for OK of $239.5M Budget

New Rochelle voters will decide May 21 whether to approve $239.5 million budget for the 2013-13 school year.

The proposed budget is 2.27 percent larger than the 2012-13 budget—or $5.3 million.

The board of education voted to adopt the budget with the maximum tax levy increase allowable by law—3.18 percent.

The levy increase represents a tax rate increase of 4.53 percent.

Board President Chrisanne Petrone said Tuesday at the public hearing that additional state aid and cost savings allowed district administration to reduce the projected number of layoffs from 56, as originally proposed in the preliminary budget, to 43.5 positions.

"Upholding the quality of the educational programming that is essential to the health of all of our schools has always been the primary focus of this board," she said, "and is crucial to the development of our children and to the strength of our community as a whole."

Petrone said the board believes "we have met that goal while also remaining aware of the challenging economic realities facing our community.

"However, this goal has not been met without sacrifices," she said.

A number of parents of children who attend Ward Elementary School spoke during the public hearing about concerns they had of teacher reductions that would increase class size.

Tracy Hill said the thought of 27 children in a second- or third-grade class scares her.

"At what point do you say we promise not to be adding more kids?" she said, adding that she has supported the budget in past years but is finding it difficult to support it this year.

Michelle Herbert, president of Ward's PTA, said her board voted in favor of the proposed budget.

"But we have some reservations," she said. "Our class sizes are projected to be way too high."

Herbert said the school was losing a disproportionate number of teachers—three out of 12 district-wide—than the other schools.

"We need to take a second look" at the budget, she said.

The complete 2013-14 budget document can be found on the school district's Web site.