Election: May 15 2018
Voters in the North Colonie School District will vote on Tuesday May 15, 2018 on three things. First, the annual budget needs to be approved. Second, voters will decide whether to approve the creation of a Capital Reserve Fund for the district. And third, there are two open seats on the Board of Education that need to be filled.
We highly encourage everyone to Vote Yes! on both approving the annual budget and creating the Capital Reserve Fund.
We recommend perusing the District’s webpage on the budget and election. It includes links to the budget newsletter which was mailed to voters, as well as other pertinent information. There’s also a link to the 2018 budget presentation, which was presented at the May 2 community forum.
We put together a summary of the candidates for Board of Education, which we hope will be helpful in deciding how to vote.
Vote at the Goodrich School: 91 Fiddlers Lane
Like last year (but unlike in previous years), this year’s voting will take place solely at the District Offices at the Goodrich School: 91 Fiddler’s Lane, Latham, NY 12110. The polls will be open from 6:00am to 9:00pm.
Why only a single location?
We tried to answer that question last year.
Ballot Propositions
The below propositions will appear on the ballot.
Proposition 1: Annual Budget
Shall the proposed budget of expenditures of the North Colonie Central School District for the 2018-2019 school year in the amount of $111,108,452, and for the purposes shown in the statement of estimated expenditures adopted by the Board of Education be approved and the amount thereof be raised by a levy of tax upon the taxable property of the school district after first deducting monies available from State Aid and other sources?
Proposition 2: Capital Reserve Fund
Shall the North Colonie Central School District be authorized (1) to create a Capital Reserve Fund for the purpose of financing general improvements, construction, reconstruction, renovations or additions to various School District buildings and grounds, including site work and the acquisition of original furnishings, equipment, machinery or apparatus required for the purpose for which such buildings are to be used; (2) fund said reserve to the ultimate amount of $10,000,000, and (3) annually deposit into the Capital Reserve fund such portion of the General Fund and/or available unappropriated fund balance, as determined by the Board of Education. The probable duration of the Capital Reserve Fund is ten (10) years.
Our position
While this year’s budget represents an increase over last year, it’s important to remember that enrollment in the district grew by nearly 2.5% (140 students) between the 2016-2017 school year and the 2017-2018 school year (and that number may grow further before the end of the year), so an increasing budget should be expected. The estimated tax increase is less than $7 a month on a $300,000 home (the median market value in the district).
Furthermore, this year’s budget includes a number of provisions that make investment in the future of education here in North Colonie. Of particular note:
- The overhaul of the fitness facilities. This will facilitate their use by a much broader share of district high school students, and allow the physical education department to modernize their curriculum, improving student health and safety. (All without the need for additional capital expenses.)
- The creation of a K-12 Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment Department. Standards (and expectations of what students need to learn in order to succeed) change more frequently than they used to. The new department should help ensure that what’s taught in our classrooms will continue to position our students for success after they graduate.
- The creation of a “Wrap-Around Mental Health Clinic”.
With the failure of the December 15, 2016 bond issue, and the subsequent reduction in scope of the bond that was approved last May, many capital improvements that will ultimately be needed to support a growing student population had to be removed from the project. We will have to address these needs in the next few years, and setting aside some money when we can will help defray those costs. The creation of the Capital Reserve Fund will allow the district to do that.
We encourage voters to Vote Yes! on both propositions on this year’s ballot, as they represent a prudent investment in the future of high quality education in Our North Colonie Schools.
What’s a Capital Reserve Fund?
Homeowners recognize that a furnace, air conditioner, or roof will need to be replaced every twenty or thirty years, and that the cost of replacement runs into the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. Few of us have that kind of slack in our monthly income—we set aside some money each month so that when the big expenses arrive, we’re ready for them. We do the same thing if we anticipate renovations in the future (or the looming expense of college tuition for our children).
Unlike an individual or family, a school district in New York can’t simply maintain a savings account in anticipation of future expenses. There are strict rules that govern what types of accounts may be opened and maintained, how they may be opened, how they may be funded, and how (and when) the money in them may be spent. For those interested in a deeper dive, the State Education Department provides an overview of the types of funds.
A capital reserve fund, as its name implies, allows districts to establish what amounts to a savings account to set aside money for future capital expenses. The actual ballot proposition provides us with specifics: the district wants to set aside money for future improvements to our schools, money will be set aside from the unappropriated fund balance (money which hasn’t been allocated to other purposes), the funds will be used in the next ten years, and the amount set aside won’t exceed $10 million.
Money set aside in a Capital Reserve Fund can’t be spent without voter approval, so this actually gives voters more control over the process than they would have if the money were simply spent in a given year, rather than being set aside. If voters approve creation of the fund, we will see another ballot proposition in the next decade to approve the capital project on which the money will be spent.
The district published a decent explanation of some of the specifics of the Capital Reserve Fund. Don’t get bogged down with the technical-sounding terminology. Think of it as a way for the district to open a savings account. We all have one for our families (or know that we should). It’s simple fiscal prudence for the district to have one as well.