BY ANGELO LYNN
BRANDON — The Rutland Northeast Supervision Union Board is well on its way to adopting a Fiscal 2024 year budget with preliminary numbers projecting a 10.71% increase in spending, with certain line items like fuel seeing a 48% increase over the prior year. The Consumer Price Index (inflation) is around 9% over the prior year, which is driving up that aspect of the supervisory union’s budget.
Specifically, the board is eyeing a spending increase of $1,149,539, from a FY23 budget of $10,773,367 to a proposed FY24 budget of $11,882,906.
Primary cost drivers for the budget were:
• 6.85% increase in salary and benefits.
• 21.91% increase in EEE and PreK coordinator, representing a difference in spending of $75,796 compared the previous year, but which represents only 0.71% of the total budget.
• 10% increase in Special Ed and Act 173 spending, representing an increase of $625,850 for a line item that represents 5.83% of overall spending.
• 7.83% increase in overall transportation costs, representing an increase of $101,693 for 0.95% of total spending.
• 48% increase in supplies, including fuel, seeing an increase of $244,864 and representing 2.28% of total spending.
In general, the proposed budget sees no program changes for district-wide curriculum; no changes in the technology department; no proposed staffing changes for the board or superintendent offices; in the business office the district added an assistant business manager/financial analyst and eliminated a shared position; and under Special Services added an executive assistant and adjusted programs to meet student needs.
BOARD SEATS OPEN
In other RNESU board news, the board will hold a special joint meeting with the OVUU board on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. at the OVUHS library to ratify a paraeducator/bus driver master salary agreement that was recently negotiated. A regular OVUU board meeting will start at 6:20 p.m. following the joint special meeting. Budget review and board openings are among the items to be discussed.
The RNESU board will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m. at the RNESU central office, and online, to continue discussions on the proposed FY24 budget.
The following OVUUSU board seats are up for election at Town Meeting this coming year:
• Brandon, one seat now held by Kevin Thornton.
• Goshen, one year remaining of a three-year term.
• Leicester, one seat now held by Jennifer Mallory.
• Pittsford seat, now held by Brett Mullin, two years remaining of a three-year term.
• At-large, two seats now held by Devon Fuller and Jeremy Gildrien; candidates can be from any OVUUSD towns — Brandon, Goshen, Leicester, Pittsford, Sudbury and Whiting.
• The Barstow Unified Union School District has one at large seat open.
All seats are for three-year terms unless otherwise noted. Petitions are available at each town clerk’s office and at the RNESU office at 49 Court Drive in Brandon. Completed petitions, along with a signed consent of candidate form, are due to the town clerk’s office by Jan. 30, 2023.
