BCSD Board of Ed inches closer to adopting 2025-26 budget

Chart shows how many minutes are lost or gained in special subjects through a change from a four- to five-day elementary cycle.

The Board of Education was presented with five variations of a new fox mascot design to be used by Fox Lane sports teams, and asked to choose three finalists. The board preferred A1, B and B1. Students will vote for their choice from those three.

By JEFF MORRIS

The Bedford Central Board of Education engaged in discussion of Superintendent Robert Glass’s proposed budget at their April 9 meeting, which was a three-hour affair.

The proposed budget totals $160,965,500. The allowable tax levy cap is 3.44 percent, and the levy increase is 2.99 percent, or 0.45 percent below cap; the use of appropriated fund balance is $464,018.

While again presenting a very positive overall picture, in which he noted that the district is in a stable budget position and proposed adding components in this budget cycle, not reducing programs as they had in the past, Glass nonetheless provided a list of items that he suggested the board might consider eliminating if they were uncomfortable with the level of spending, along with the savings for each.

The reason, Glass noted in his presentation, is that worldwide economic developments since the superintendent’s budget was presented may significantly impact future economic assumptions. In a more detailed explanation, he said, “Due to recent worldwide economic events or other reasons,” should the BOE deem it necessary to remove items from the superintendent’s budget to reduce the planned use of fund balance, “one sample scenario (although not recommended) would reduce the use of Fund Balance from $465K to $250K.”

As in his previous presentations, Glass said he believed that in the scale of a budget of this size, they are very close to “budget even,” and pointed out they have “added to reserves by about $7M over the last 5 years.” He went on, “Recent events could play out in a number of ways that are difficult to predict, and should any challenges be extreme or prolonged, the actions we would need to take would not be sufficient within the scale of one budget cycle.”

One of the items he suggested the board might choose to remove is $120,000 to change to a five-day elementary school rotation. The five-day rotation, as summarized, would provide compliance with state-mandated physical education minutes; provide an avenue for delivering more health curriculum at the elementary level by qualified health and PE teachers; provide some space for art and music teachers (split between buildings) to deliver important whole school and personalized experiences to students; result in a 20 percent reduction in total music and art classroom time; and make scheduling and coordinating with mandated services easier and more predictable.

The board spent considerable time discussing this, and seemed to come down on the side of maintaining a four-day rotation, not so much because of the savings, but because of the relative merits of the elements involved in a change. During a later public comment period, several parents criticized the five-day proposal because it would reduce art and music time.

Other items Glass highlighted for the board’s consideration for possible removal are $20,000 to add a junior varsity boys B soccer team, and $75,000 for a dual language bilingual education and special education review and initial actions. 

There was also considerable discussion about an $85,000 expenditure, after aid, for a district safety coordinator, for which Glass suggested three options, which differ in whether there would be aid available, whether they would be civil service positions, and whether retired law enforcement officers would be likely to fill the position.

Attention was again given to expending $65,000, after aid, for the Northwell Adolescent Mental Health Clinic, as well as $120,000 for an additional English for Speakers of Other Languages teacher at Mount Kisco Elementary School. Glass noted that an elementary ESOL teacher position was reduced about 10 years ago, and SOL student-teacher ratios have increased at MKES over the 10-year span; ESOL is viewed as a mandated service that must be appropriately staffed.

Despite having lengthy discussions about most of these items and other possible additions, the board did not reach any definitive conclusions, though board President Gilian Klein was hoping to arrive at a definitive number ahead of their April 23 meeting, when they plan to adopt the budget. Linda Carlin, the interim assistant superintendent for business, said she could set up her computer at that meeting so that whatever choices they made would be reflected and the impact shown on various budget elements. Klein said it was important that they be able to have accurate updated figures for the budget resolution and any proposition they adopted.

Possible additional board meeting

The board discussed the logistics of holding an additional meeting separate from that on Wednesday, April 23, if needed. Klein said the issue is the need to have a public discussion of Phase 2 of the bond project, which she said covers roughly $30 million, and “award those contracts that have gone out to bid, as well as discuss alternatives.”

Trustee Steven Matlin said they do not yet know how extensive that discussion will have to be, because they will not learn the amounts of the bids that have come in until a meeting of the Construction Committee that will take place April 21.

Matlin said he thought it was safe to say they will be under the budgeted amount, “though not guaranteed.” He said it is a complicated puzzle to put together, with multiple variables involving the lawyers, contractors, and bid requirements. Klein said she saw a value in separating this out from the same meeting when they will be voting on the budget.

After considering their options and figuring out every board member’s availability, they decided to schedule a meeting for Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m., at which only four members will be present, but which will allow full attention to be paid to the issue. Whether the meeting will need to be held will not be known until after the project manager advises them of the bid situation at the construction meeting of the 21st; if the situation is not complicated, they will add it to the agenda on April 23 and cancel the next day’s meeting.