BUDGET VOTE/BOE Election: MAY 16, 2023 6:00AM-9:00PM @ VCHS Gymnasium
This video gives a detailed look at the scope of work proposed in the 2023 Capital Project (Proposition 2 and 3) and explains the purpose of the proposed Capital Reserve Fund (Proposition 4).
The Budget webpage also contains information about the budget. The Capital Project 2023 webpage also contains information about the budget. The Board of Education webpage also contains information about the BOE election.
Click here to Print the 2022-2023 Budget Newsletter.
The 2023-2024 Budget Newsletter has been mailed to every district resident. It contains all the information regarding the BOE Election and Budget Vote:
Proposition 1: The 2023-2024 Proposed Budget
Proposition 2: Renovation/Reconstruction of district building facilities
Proposition 3: Additional Renovation/Reconstruction of district building facilities (Proposition 3 is dependent on the passage of Proposition 2)
Proposition 4: Establishment of Capital Reserve Fund 2023
Fast Facts:
Proposed Budget: $125,850,000
Budget to Budget Increase: 7.93%
Proposed Tax Levy: 0.92%
The 2023-2024 Budget :
- Maintains all programs while staying well below tax levy limit and maximizes State Aid increase
- Maintains all curricular and extracurricular programs
- Three new HS Courses
- Educational Field Trips
- Increases number students sent to CTEC Program (BOCES)
- Behavior Intervention Specialists at MS and HS
- Continued Curriculum Development and Professional Learning
- Leadership Development
- District Grant Writer
- Data Consultant
- Additional Security Personnel/SRO’s
- Optimizes increase in state aid, and tax levy is UNDER the Allowable Tax Levy Limit
- Maintains the sound financial stability of the District
This budget maintains all programs for our students while staying under the tax cap and maximizing state aid. It is a fiscally responsible budget reducing the reliance on fund balance which ensures the future financial stability of the school district. The proposed 2023-2024 also contains a capital outlay project within the budget.
Proposition 2
Fast Facts:
Will not exceed $31,980,000
Expected State Aid: 75.8%
Capital Reserve Fund: $9,750,000
Fund Balance: $935,000
Proposition 2 is estimated to have NO TAX IMPACT.
Proposition 2 will not exceed $31,980,000
After 75.8% state aid on the project, the local share (cost to taxpayers) will be covered by the 2019 Capital Reserve Fund balance of $9,750,000 and $935,000 in fund balance which will be applied to Proposition 2 to minimize the tax impact to taxpayers. Proposition 2 is estimated to have NO TAX IMPACT.
It will provide new secured vestibules in our school buildings and provide upgrades to building infrastructure throughout the District.
Safety and Security
• New security vestibules district-wide
• Replace select fire alarm systems
The safety of our students is a top priority for Valley
Central. To enhance building security, Proposition 2 will create
security vestibules at all schools. This will provide a double set of
doors with an enclosed greeter window within the vestibule for
personnel to check visitor credentials before allowing entry.
Guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security
recommend that all K-12 schools have a security vestibule. Not all
main entrances at our buildings have enclosed security vestibules
with an adjacent greeter window for security officers to properly
screen visitors before entering the building.
Infrastructure
• Renovate select toilet rooms
• Install emergency lighting in select areas
• Improve building signage and wayfinding
• Replace high school tennis courts
• Remove stepped flooring in 8th-grade classrooms
• Upgrade toilet rooms for ADA compliance
• Repair sidewalks
• Replace 1968 electrical panels
• Stabilize the retaining wall at Walden Elementary School
• Relocate 4th-grade classrooms at Walden Elementary
School
To address aging infrastructure at schools reaching 50 to 100
years old, this project will replace sidewalks, exterior doors,
windows, and fire alarm systems that are nearing or beyond their
useful life. Bathroom upgrades at East Coldenham Elementary
School will improve accessibility and enhance ADA compliance.
This project will replace the tennis courts at Valley Central High
School as two of the six courts are shut down due to cracking and
deterioration of the court surface. This replacement will provide a
safe, level playing surface for athletes, physical education classes,
and community use.
Boilers and HVAC
Replace boilers
• Replace unit ventilators
• Replace pneumatic with digital controls
• Replace chillers
• Install air conditioning in select areas
• Replace select air handling units
• Replace radiators, piping, and ductwork at East
Coldenham Elementary School
The boilers within several school buildings are beyond their
useful life and require a complete replacement. New unit
ventilators with digital controls rather than pneumatic controls
will provide a more comfortable learning environment and
improve the indoor air quality of our schools.
Building Envelope
• Repair exterior walls, columns, and masonry
• Replace select windows
• Replace exterior doors
• Upgrade exterior stairs for improved life safety
Proposition 3
Fast Facts
Proposition 3 can only pass if Proposition 2 passes
Will not exceed $14,615,000
Expected State Aid: 75.8%
Fund Balance: $3,010,000
The impact of Proposition 3 on a taxpayer with a full-value home of $400,000 is estimated to be about $2 per month.
The maximum cost for Proposition 3 will not exceed $14,615,000. Funds from fund balance in the amount of $3,010,000 will be applied to this project to offset the cost to the taxpayer.
Proposition 3 can only pass if Proposition 2 passes. If Proposition 3 is approved, the impact on a taxpayer with a full-value home of $400,000 is estimated to be about $2 per month. Taxpayers with STAR and Senior Citizens with STAR would pay even less per month.
Educational Programming
• Renovate second-floor high school science classrooms
• Renovate middle school technology classrooms
HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CLASSROOM RENOVATIONS
The high school science classrooms have not been updated since the early 1990s and have experienced a lot of use and wear since then. Proposition 3 will renovate second-floor science classrooms with new finishes, casework, and flexible lab furniture to support all sciences taught at Valley Central.
MIDDLE SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY CLASSROOM RENOVATIONS
The middle school technology classrooms are also outdated and have not been updated since the early 1990s. These classrooms will be renovated to better reflect the rapid changes in technology, align with New York State Technology Standards, and provide flexible spaces that support 21st-century learning.
Safety and Security
• Relocate main office at Berea Elementary School
• Relocate kindergarten classrooms to current
To enhance security at Berea Elementary School, Proposition 3 will move the current first-floor Kindergarten classrooms and relocate the main office to the entrance of the school.
This will allow visitors to move directly into the main office from the security vestibule and move classroom space away from the main entrance.
Proposition 4: Establish a new Capital Reserve Fund (2023)
Establish the VCSD Capital Reserve Fund 2023 with a cap of $15 Million to expire in ten years.
- Funded through Fund Balance
The 2019 Capital Reserve Fund was established with a limit of $10 Million which is being expended for Capital Project- Proposition #2 to cover the local share of the project. Since it would be expended, the district would need a new Capital Reserve Fund to continue to save funds for future Capital Projects.
BOE Election
There are three seats open for election, two for a three-year term and one to fill the unexpired term of May 17, 2023 – June 30, 2024.
The candidates for Board of Education election in ballot order are:
- Katie McKnight
- Barney Zipkin
- Joseph Bond
- Frances Fox-Pizzonia
The two candidates who acquire the most votes will win the two seats that are open for a three-year term. The candidate with the third highest vote count will be awarded the vacant seat serving from May 17, 2023 through June 30, 2024.