Essex Co. schools ready 2023-24 spending plans

ELIZABETHTOWN | School Boards of Education throughout Essex County have been working to prepare 2023-2024 school budgets to present for voter approval on Tuesday, May 16. Here are proposed budget numbers in area districts. AU SABLE VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT The 2023-24 proposed school budget is $36,506,950, representing an increase of 4.37 percent in spending. The proposed tax levy -- the amount to be raised by taxes -- is $15,645,000, which reflects a 2.97 percent increase. The tax levy increase is below the state tax cap threshold set at 3.09 percent. One seat is open on the Au Sable Valley Central School Board, and Amanda Whisher is seeking election, unopposed, for the three-year term. There are no propositions on the ballot. A public hearing will be held on May 8 at 6 p.m. at the Middle/High School cafeteria. The budget vote is on Tuesday, May 16. Polls are open from noon until 9 p.m. in the Middle/High School cafeteria. BOQUET VALLEY CENTRAL SCHOOL The 2023-24 proposed school budget is $15,635,634, an increase of 2.90 percent in spending. The total proposed tax levy is $8,085,797, an increase of 3.08 percent, the increase limit set by the state. There are two three-year terms open on the Boquet Valley School Board. Incumbents Dina Garvey and Sarah Kullman are seeking reelection. BVCS has four propositions on the ballot: #1 is for the School Budget; #2 elects School Board members; #3 seeks approval to purchase one 65-passenger school bus; and #4 seeks approval to purchase one seven-passenger van plus an extra set of steel wheels and studded tires. The public hearing will be held on May 9 at 6 p.m. in the auditorium at Mountain View Campus in Elizabethtown. The budget vote is Tuesday, May 16 at Lake View Campus in Westport from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. KEENE CENTRAL SCHOOL The 2023-24 proposed school budget is $7,870,480, an increase of 2.478 percent in spending. The tax levy is proposed at $6,570,143, a 6.8 percent increase, which exceeds the 1.12 percent state tax levy threshold set for Keene. Lauren Crowl, Eugene Chin and Janelle Schwartz are running for two open seats on the School Board. Both board seats are three-year terms. Proposition One on the ballot seeks voter approval to establish a Capital Reserve Fund for the purchase of equipment, buses, and capital improvements to the building and grounds. The public hearing will be held on Monday, May 8 at 6:30 p.m. at Keene Central School. The budget vote is Tuesday, May 16 at the school from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. LAKE PLACID CENTRAL SCHOOL The 2023-24 proposed budget is $21,746,602, an increase of 3.99 percent in spending. The proposed tax levy of $17,177,277 is at the state tax cap threshold set at 3.01 percent. An estimated tax rate of $6.32 per $1,000 of real property value reflects an increase of 18 cents. There are three open seats for three-year terms on the School Board. The person with the most votes will begin their term immediately. Candidates are Ryan St. Louis; Douglas Lansing; Nate Hammaker and John Hopkinson. Lake Placid Central School voters will find two propositions on the ballot. The Bus Proposition seeks authorization to lease one 24- passenger wheelchair school bus and one eight-passenger school bus for a period not to exceed five years and at a cost not to exceed $40,732. The Wilmington Library Proposition seeks to increase funding for the E.M. Cooper Memorial Library in Wilmington by $645, up from $16,090 to $16,735.00 annually. Public hearings will be held in both Wilmington and Lake Placid, first in Wilmington on May 2 at 6 p.m. in the Wilmington Community Center on Springfield Road. The public hearing in Lake Placid is set for May 9 at 6:00 p.m. in the Lake Placid Administration Building, 50 Cummings Rd. The school budget vote is Tuesday, May 16 from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. Wilmington residents will vote at the Community Center in Wilmington and Lake Placid Voters will vote at Lake Placid Elementary School. The district is conducting an exit poll this year, gathering community input on whether to offer military veterans a real property tax exemption in accordance with New York State tax law Section 458, which provides several tax rate reductions based on the nature of their active duty. A second exit poll will ask whether taxpayers would approve up to a 10 percent school tax reduction for firefighters and ambulance workers. SARANAC LAKE CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT The proposed 2023-24 school budget is $36,000,000, an increase of 4.05 percent in spending. The proposed tax levy is $23,650,279, which reflects a 1.66 percent increase and is below the tax cap threshold set by the state. Three seats are open on the School Board, and three incumbents are running unopposed, Joe Henderson, Mike Martin and Tori Thurston. Voters in the Saranac Lake Central School District are being asked to weigh in on three spending propositions. Proposition #1 seeks approval to purchase three buses; one suburban, or similar vehicle; and one van, or similar vehicle, at a cost not to exceed $552,000. The board would like to use $552,000 from the Saranac Lake Central School District's unassigned fund balance to pay for the transportation vehicles in full. Proposition #2 asks voters if the district should take steps to receive an additional 10 percent in building aid on a debt-neutral energy performance contract (EPC) not to exceed $2,500,000 to improve energy efficiencies in district-owned facilities. The local share of the EPC is offset in energy-saving costs and would have no additional tax impact to residents. Proposition #3 looks to collect an annual amount for the Saranac Lake Free Library of $409,506 and pay over this sum to library trustees in accordance with Section 259 of the New York State Education Law. A public hearing for the school budget will be held on May 3 at 5 p.m. at Saranac Lake High School The budget vote is on Tuesday, May 16. Polls at the school are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the high school. WILLSBORO CENTRAL SCHOOL The 2023-24 proposed school budget is $10,901,493, which reflects a 4.02 percent increase in spending. The tax levy is proposed to increase a total $121,378, a figure that is at the tax levy cap limit of 2.07 percent. The Willsboro Central School tax rate per $1,000 of real property is estimated to increase 28 cents to $10.80. There are two seats open on the School Board with incumbents Krissy Leerkes and Emily Phillips seeking reelection. The ballot has three propositions. Proposition #1 is for the budget; Proposition #2 is for School Board members; Proposition #3 authorizes purchase of one 65-passenger bus The public hearing will be held on May 9 at 6 p.m. at Willsboro Central School The budget vote is on Tuesday, May 16 from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. in the school auditorium.

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Essex Co. schools ready 2023-24 spending plans

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