BY STEVEN JUPITER
BRANDON—The Otter Valley Unified Union School Board approved its budget for fiscal year 2024 at its meeting on Wednesday, January 4. The final amount proposed for FY24 is $24,174,395. This represents a 6.45% increase over the FY23 budget of $22,706,455. Every school in the district will see an increase in its individual budget except for Lothrop Elementary in Pittsford, which will see a slight decrease of .03%.
The expenditures that will see the greatest increases across the district are direct instruction (+$710,275 or +3.13%), student support (+$234,023 or +1.03%), and facilities (+$226,325 or +1.00%). Expenditures that will decrease are school administration (-$22,868 or -0.1%) and debt service (-$8,148 or -0.04%).
RNESU Business Director Brenda Fleming led the Board through the budget, noting that the proposed increase of 6.45% is still well under the national inflation rate for the year, which is 8.70%, as represented by the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Specific changes to the budget from FY23 include:
- Lothrop will lose one teacher, because of diminished enrollment
- Neshobe will gain one paraeducator
- Neshobe will add a part-time library assistant
- Otter Creek Academy will move “extraordinary cost” students to the RNESU budget
- OV Middle School will add a full-time English/Social Studies teacher
- OV Middle School will add a paraeducator/interventionist
- OV Middle School will add a pre-late bus run
- OV Middle School will move “extraordinary cost” students to the RNESU budget
- $7200 in retirement benefits will be disbursed to an OVUHS science teacher
- $100,000 for truancy, school safety, and social work at OV
After review of the proposal, OVUU Board member Kevin Thornton moved to amend the budget to include $200,000 to purchase new equipment for the tech education program run by OV teacher Devon Karpak. Thornton argued that current equipment is outdated by decades and that students need to be taught on up-to-date machines.
A discussion followed in which other Board members took issue with Thornton’s approach. Board chair Laurie Bertrand stated that the motion was premature since Karpak had indicated that he wasn’t yet ready to submit a request for funding. She added that $175,000 had already been set aside for this specific purpose from the facilities fund and would be available this summer, by which time it was expected that Karpak would be ready to make a request.
Thornton impressed upon the Board that his prior requests for tech-ed funding, which he deemed urgent, had been dismissed by the previous administration as premature as well. “It’s time,” he said. “Justice delayed is justice denied. We’re not doing our kids justice.”
Ms. Bernard replied, “Karpak needs a clear and precise plan before we give him money.”
Ultimately, Mr. Thornton’s amendment was seconded but defeated, 4 to 7.
The unamended budget was approved by a vote of 6 to 4. Residents of the towns that make up the OV district will have a chance to vote on the budget on March 7.
