Jamestown School Board Approves Budget with No Tax Increase

Originally posted on April 22, 9:48pm.
Updated April 23, 8:55 a.m.

JAMESTOWN – Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education Tuesday night approved a $75,768,676 budget that contains a 0 percent tax increase.  The final vote was 6 to 1.

Heading into this week, the tentative budget contained a 1.31 percent increase, which would have been necessary to close a nearly $900,000 budget gap. However, on Monday night the board held a special work session and was able to rework the spending plan.

School superintendent Tim Mains explained on Tuesday night that the adjustments were made to the staff, budget and program lines to identify over $900,000, which helped to close the gap.

“There are two additional positions that we cut to half time,”Mains explained to reporters following the meeting. “We eliminated a program that we enjoyed here in the district for several years for accelerated learning – it’s an after school program that’s targeted to middle school students and that’s completely gone. We made some minor changes to other programs. The other big change which was part of the original package and remained in the final package is combining the two out of school suspension programs into one.”

Mains said that when officials met to finalize the budget, it became a top priority to eliminate any proposed tax increase…

“The board was very clear that they believe we needed to figure out how to do this with a zero tax increase – a flat tax levy,” Mains said. “So the biggest change is taxes are the same this year as they were last year and the year before that. This is the fourth year in a row that there has been no tax increase.”

Total spending for the 2014-15 budget is up .53 percent from the current year. But Board member Shelly Leathers noted that spending is actually up by 4.6 percent when excluding the debt service, which will be 25 percent lower next year – a savings of $2,488,800 – compared to this school year.

Board member Patrick Slagle gave the lone “no” vote. Following the meeting he explained he would have liked more time for consideration, since the most recent changes were made just the previous night. He said specifically, he would have liked to see the board reconsider an additional $300,000 that will be used next year for staff professional development.

“Common core is a very touchy issue and it’s given our teachers a lot more work to do so I understand that a lot more training is needed for teachers. Unfortunately I thought the proposed budget put too much into professional development.”

Slagle also made a motion to table the budget vote until Thursday night so board members could have more time to consider all options, but that motion was defeated 6 to 1.

PUBLIC COMMENT ON BUDGET

Approximately 40 people in attended and three spoke during the public comment, all addressing the budget.

One individual requested the board restore a certified occupational therapist assistant position back to full time. It was one of several positions either eliminated to cut to half time, as part of the effort to close the budget gap. However, school officials note that no layoffs are taking place, with all positions either being eliminated through retirement or attrition.

Two other individuals – one being Jamestown Police Captain Robert Samuelson – requested that the district not eliminate its evening Out of School Suspension (Night OSS) program. However, the program cut remained in the final budget, and Night OSS will not take place at Jamestown starting in September.

A Public hearing on the budget is May 13 and the budget vote will be May 20.