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Budget Update | A message from Dr. Manning Campbell
May 22, 2024
Dear NECSD students, families, faculty, and staff,
As a result of our proposed budget being defeated, our district has been put in a very difficult position. I’m writing to share some information with our community about our recent budget vote results. My goal is to be as clear as possible. First and foremost, I would like to highlight that in a community of more than 90,000 residents, only an estimated 2,000 voters (2.2%) determined the educational opportunities for our 12,000 students. It is important to reiterate that every vote matters, particularly in local elections when it directly impacts our children.
We are disappointed in the defeat of the budget and the negative impacts it will have on our students, especially when one-time, federal funding is ending nationwide. We know our community has questions with regard to how we proceed. Budget oversight is a day-to-day process, it is not a seasonal effort. The proposal put forth to our community is the result of two years of analysis of the goals of our district. When we receive direction from the Board of Education at our next regular meeting, which will be held on Tuesday, May 28, 2024, we will do our best to communicate the next steps more specifically.
Below, I would like to further clarify key points related to this process.
Annual Budget Proposal Process
As Superintendent, my role is to develop a budget that complies with New York State Education Department parameters, is fiscally responsible, and supports the instructional and operational needs of our District. The Board of Education, district personnel, and community members provided input and recommendations for my consideration. My team and I then analyzed those considerations to develop and propose a budget that was educationally sound and fiscally responsible for our community. Once approved by the Board of Education, that budget was then put forth to our voters.
Contractual Obligations and Employees
The district has contractual obligations to all employees. Breaking any contract puts our district in a place to face undo legal ramifications that often result in financial consequences for taxpayers and decrease the resources we can provide to our students.
When a budget is defeated
Legally, the Board of Education has three options.
- Recommend a vote on the same budget in June
- Recommend the Superintendent revise the proposed budget for a vote in June
- Approve the adoption of a contingent budget
Budget Revision Considerations
My Executive team and I have anticipated this issue. As such, we have been diligently analyzing how to make the best recommendations for our community. When asked for recommendations by the Board of Education, we are prepared to share areas of consideration for reduction, redesign, and elimination. Some examples include:
- Reduction of staffing across all areas
- Elimination of equipment purchases
- Changes to Athletic, Music, Art, CTE, and enrichment programs
- Reduction of classroom and instructional supplies
Contingent Budget
Districts that operate with a contingent budget have very clear New York State Education Department regulations that the district must follow. The Contingent Budget reductions were shared with our community on and in the Budget Clarification Mailer that was sent, in the third column on the right.
You will notice that there is approximately a $4.2M decrease between what was originally proposed and the Contingent Budget, which equates to: $1.5M in administrative costs, $2.4M in program costs, and $250K in capital costs.
Part of the structural issue is that the District is not adjusting our revenue to meet inflation, so the District will never be in a position to properly support our children if we do not raise taxes. Thank you for taking the time to read and absorb this information. I recognize that this is a difficult topic and may impact members of our community differently.
Sincerely,
Dr. J. Manning Campbell
Superintendent of Schools
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