Pioneer School District voters will decide May 21 on a proposed $67,773,295 general fund budget for 2024-2025, that would increase spending by 3.14 percent.
The Pioneer Board of Education got its first view of the entire proposal at its March 5 regular meeting, during a presentation by Anthony Montoro, Assistant Superintendent of Finance.
The difference between the budget that was pitched to the board and actual revenues is $794,059, a gap which Mr. Montoro said will have to be addressed in the coming weeks. The board is scheduled to act on next year’s budget by April 23.
Mr. Montoro’s presentation covered three of the largest portions of the budget: Salaries and Benefits (67 percent), BOCES expenses, and Transportation.
He said while current enrollment stands at 2198 (a decrease of two students from last year), the district is monitoring birth rate figures for 2017 and 2018. These indicate that while the number of area births for those years was consistent with recent times, the number of actual kindergarten enrollments decreased over that time by 12 to 20 percent. Furthermore, birth data for 2019-2021 is trending downward, he added, “something we will need to monitor.”
Mr. Montoro said Pioneer is planning its salary and benefits around fewer retirements than normal. This year three teachers are stepping down, as opposed to eight or nine on average.
He said the district is hoping that the final budget adopted by Albany will restore aid to education, including Foundation Aid, to help Pioneer and other schools close their spending shortfalls.
Polling will be conducted among qualified voters of the school district on May 21, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., at Pioneer High School. Voters must be 18, a U.S. citizen, a resident of the district for 30 days prior to the vote, and must bring proper identification. The slate of candidates for the anticipated four open seats on the school board will be announced in the coming weeks, and this year's budget newsletter is also scheduled to be mailed to residents in advance of the vote.