This year, the Putnam Valley School District budget development
process was made more difficult by a number of factors. First, proposals
in the Executive Budget of New York State would shift certain expenses to
local school districts and reduce state aid. Since the State has not completed
its budget on time, districts now must estimate what effect these proposals
may have on their budgets.
Second, a significant increase (of over eleven percent) in
the number of Putnam Valley students going to Walter Panas High School next
year will increase our costs, by itself, by $240,000.
Third, property revaluation throughout Putnam County means
that next year's tax bill for individual school district taxpayers will
be partly affected by their new assessments as well as by changes in the
district's proposed budget.
Your Board of Education has examined these factors carefully
and is recommending to the community a budget that is projected to increase
taxes modestly in Putnam Valley (3.09%), in Carmel (7.15%), and in Cortlandt
(3.79%). This budget would continue to support our students and offer them
the programs necessary to compete in the 21st century. Putnam Valley has
a fine school system with a dedicated staff and this budget will allow them
to be successful in the teaching of our children . It will also help to
advance the mission of our school district: "The Child First and Foremost,
Building A Foundation For The Future."
This budget allows us to maintain modest funding for our technology
initiatives, support our Walter Panas students, improve our Early Literacy
Program in kindergarten, maintain a part-time Middle School Student Advisor
Assistant, and sustain enrichment programs for students in both schools.
This budget provides funds for supplies and materials for the classroom
and supports extracurricular activities, sports, and clubs. The maintenance
portion of the budget continues at a level that will help keep our buildings
well maintained.
We believe that this budget will allow our schools to continue
to improve while maintaining a tax rate of 3.09% for the majority of our
school district residents.
If you wish additional information on the budget, please contact
John Kleinegris, Superintendent of Schools, at 528-8143 or any of our Board
of Education Members listed below.
Guy Cohen (President) - 526-3434
JoAnn Riley (Vice-President) - 528-2109
Pat Bellino - 528-1796
Edward MacDonald - 526-3672
Barbara Parmly - 528-1155
Did you know that ...
The staff of the Putnam Valley Elementary School, with the assistance
of the PTA, conducted a show entitled, It's Curtains For Mr. Big.
The proceeds, along with a gift from the PTA, enabled the stage curtains
to be replaced in the Elementary School "Old Gym." The curtains
hadn't been replaced in over 30 years.
Through shared transportation with three other school districts Putnam
Valley saved $250,000.
The Putnam Valley School buses and vans, both district-owned and from
our contractor, travel 684,794 miles per year.
The tuition for our high school students is $5,335 and next year forty-five
more students will be attending Walter Panas High School.
The total enrollment projected for the 1996-97 school year for
the school district will be 1,658 students; 683 students are projected for
the Elementary School, 538 students are projected for the Middle School
and 437 students are projected for the high school.
The budget adds a one-half teaching position in the kindergarten classes.
This increase would allow more individual attention to be given to children
who are at a risk in learning how to read through the District's Early
Literacy Program (check out our Internet LEAP
[Literature Experience and Practice] program site to see what one of our
reading programs looks like).
Putnam Valley has its own Internet sites. Please visit:
The District at http://putwest.boces.org
The Elementary School
at http://putwest.boces.org/es.html
The Middle School at
http://putwest.boces.org/ms.html