On Tuesday the vote for the $86.2 million spending plan, which included no tax increase over the current year, was 419 in favor to just 63 against.

Voters also approved the creation of a $2 million capital reserve fund by a vote of 427 to 61. And the establishment of a Student Ex Officio Board of Education member was also approved 430 to 87.

For the board of education race, incumbents Nina Karbacka and Daniel Johnson were both re-elected to the school board, holding off challenger Brianne Fadale.

In addition to the budget plan – which includes no tax increase – voters will also act on two propositions along with selecting two candidates to serve on the school board.

In a recent interview with WRFA, school superintendent Bret Apthorpe said the proposed budget doesn’t include any major overhauls to programming, but does set the stage for big things to come in the 2019-20 school year.

“The board has really looked at a multi-year picture. Their goal is improving student achievement and they recognize the symbiotic relationship between fiscal health and instructional health,” Apthorpe said. “So what this budget really allows us to do is give us some space financially, while we’re working with our community partners on three big initiatives for 2019-20 the following year.”

Those three initiatives include developing a success academy at Rogers school, a summer literacy program for students in grades K through 4, and adjusting program to help better meet the needs of local manufacturers and trades, which are having a hard time finding skilled employees.

Apthorpe also said that the primary focus of the 2018-19 budget is to address the district’s debt, which takes up more than 10 percent of the budget. Ideally, he says the debt service should be closer to three percent of total spending.

In addition to the budget, voters will also act on a proposition to establish a $2 million capital reserve fund that will be used to help pay the local share of future capital projects.

“I call it a community fund because voters have to approve its creation and also have to approve the release of the money when the time comes,” Apthorpe said. “The setup of this fund is by us putting in $2 million in cash, we’ll be eligible for $98 million of aid [from New York State]. So in a sense, for the next ten years we could do $100 million of repair and maintenance to our school buildings and not have to borrow.”

A second proposition deals with allowing a senior from the high school to serve as a non-voting member of the school board.

Voters will also elect two Board of Education members, each to serve three-year terms beginning on July 1, 2018.

There are three candidates on the ballot: newcomer Brianne Fadale along with incumbent board members Daniel Johnson and Nina Karbacka.

The polls in the Jamestown School district will be open from noon to 9 p.m..

Jamestown School Superintendent Bret Apthorpe during the 2018-19 JPS Budget Hearing on Tuesday, May 8.

JAMESTOWN – No one offered comments or questions Tuesday Night during the Jamestown School Board’s public hearing regarding the proposed 2018-19 budget.

The hearing, which was held at Persell Middle School auditorium, provided details on the district’s proposed $86.23 million spending plan, which includes no tax increase and which was unanimously approved by the school board last month.

District Finance Director Vern Connors went over the basis details of the spending plan as well as the two propositions that will also appear on the ballot.

Attendance for the hearing was light and included mostly school staff members and the media, along with the school board.

School superintendent Bret Apthorpe said he hoped the light attendance was due to the public having a good understanding of the proposed spending plan.

“I hope it’s because we’ve been very intentional about communicating with the public from the get-go of this process,” Apthorpe told WRFA following the hearing. “An important part of the board’s goals in this budget development was including the community so hopefully people didn’t come because it was going to be a rerun of what they’ve already heard.”

The proposed budget has a few new positions added, but doesn’t include any major overhaul to programming. Instead, Apthorpe and his staff have said the proposed budget is intended to set the stage for bigger changes that will be coming in the 2019-2020 school year.

“We’ve worked conscientiously with the community to create three initiatives for the 2019-20 school year. One involves creating a Success Academy at the former Rogers school. Another involves a summer literacy program for all of our K through 4 students in the city. And lastly, modernizing our student programming at the high school to align with local labor needs,” Apthorpe said.

Apthorpe also said the main goal of the 2018-19 budget is also to provide better financial stability, and that involves tackling some of the district’s debt.

“What this budget is doing is taking a big swing at the debt service. The district pays $10.5 million a year to debt and that makes us very susceptible to fluctuations in aid because if aid lowers, we still owe that money. That’s how Jamestown was forced to lay off 100 positions in the past 10 years, so this budget takes a big swing at lowering our debt service,” Apthorpe said.

The budget vote and School Board Elections will be held on Tuesday, May 15 from noon to 9 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School and Washington Middle School for registered voters.

The Budget is available to the public at JamestownPublicSchools.org and hard copies are available in the Superintendent’s Office at 197 Martin Road, in each Jamestown school’s main office and at the James Prendergast Library.

Voters will also elect two Board of Education members, each to serve three-year terms beginning on July 1, 2018.

There are three candidates on the ballot: Brianne Fadale, Daniel Johnson and Nina Karbacka.

The public is encouraged to attend.

Last month the Jamestown School Board unanimously approved the $86.23 million spending plan, which includes no tax increase. The total spending for the 2018-19 budget would see an increase of just over $1 million –about 1.18 percent more than the current year.

The 2018-19 Proposed Budget is also available to the public at www.jamestownpublicschools.org and hard copies are available in the Superintendent’s Office at 197 Martin Road, in each Jamestown school’s main office and at the James Prendergast Library.

The budget vote and School Board Elections will be held on Tuesday, May 15 from noon to 9 p.m. at Lincoln Elementary School, Jefferson Middle School and Washington Middle School for registered voters.

Voters will also elect two Board of Education members, each to serve three-year terms beginning on July 1, 2018.

There are three candidates on the ballot: Brianne Fadale, Daniel Johnson and Nina Karbacka.

L to R: Brianne Fadale, Dan Johnson, and Nina Karbacka

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown School District is announcing that three candidates are running for the two Jamestown School Board seats that are up for a vote during the school election on May 15.

The three candidates are incumbent board members Nina Karbacka and Dan Johnson, along with newcomer Brianne Fadale.

According to the district, Fadale is seeking her first term on the Board of Education. She is currently a Staff Development Specialist with Erie 2 Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES and had previously served as a special education teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, as well as the girls’ modified soccer coach and an assistant basketball coach at Persell Middle School.

Johnson, who is seeking his third term on the Board of Education, spent 22 years with the Jamestown Police Department, retiring in 2010, and is currently the Senior Investigator with the Chautauqua County District Attorney’s Office.

Karbacka is seeking her second term on the Board of Education. Before retiring, Karbacka taught music in the Jamestown Schools for 40 years. She has also been nominated vice president in the New York State Association of Small City School Districts.

The Board of Education Elections and School Budget Vote will be held on May 15th from noon to 9 p.m. at Jefferson and Washington Middle Schools and Lincoln Elementary School for all registered voters.

For any information on the School Board Elections, or where to vote, please call Jaunita Walter at 483-4420.