Community Corner

Mt. Sinai Adopts $55.2 Million Budget, Does Not Exceed Tax Cap

The Mt. Sinai Board of Education adopted the final proposed budget for the 2013-’14 school year Wednesday night; a  $55.2 million budget that does not exceed the district’s tax levy cap.

The tax levy increase of 4.05 percent is within the district’s cap, so the budget will only need the typical 50 plus-one percent approval to pass. If the levy was over the cap, as it was last year, it would have needed over 60 percent approval.
  
Superintendent Enrico Crocetti and board president Robert Sweeney voiced their pleasure with the adopted budget; specifically the 34.5 percent decrease in the appropriated fund balance.

“You don’t spend money you haven’t got,” Crocetti said. “Appropriating the fund balance is anticipating money that may come in through the revenue stream. That’s a very dangerous position to be placed in. We’re trying to get that down, trying to lower our reliance on it…you have to establish a budget on what you have.”  

Sweeney added, “This is really putting us in a place that we have created a protection for the next years to come in our programs.”  

A 4.05-percent increase in the tax levy projects out to $28 a month per household, according to Crocetti. The $55.2 million budget is an increase of .96 percent over last year’s $54.6 million budget.  

While there are plans to add programs, including clubs at the middle school and an AP Physics class down the road, PTO member Ann Marie Reed voiced displeasure at the lack of classes being added at the high school.  

“There are no electives in the high school that are academic for our students,” Reed said. “It’s very nice that you plan for AP Physics down the road, but do you realize that if you’re a social studies kid there is no AP course past 11th grade? For our incoming students, there is nothing…you need to understand that. “  

Also on the ballot will be votes for two board seats, as well as a capital projects vote to repair the roof at the middle school. The district has $327,150 in Capital Reserve that can only be used on these repairs.  

“This is money given to us for this purpose and the law demands that we spend it only with voter approval,” Crocetti said. “It’s slated to do a good thing, which is take care of this building’s roofs.  

At the end of the budget presentation, Sweeney implored community members to come out and vote. Last year, just 44 percent of the 968 eligible voting parents in the district actually came out to the polls.  

“It is so important that while this budget sounds positive, that you the representatives of the community remind everyone that the only way to move forward is to vote,” he said. “Apathy becomes our enemy.”    


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