The announcement of a new increase of 6.5% in the school tax levy on Pine Bush residents has, perhaps predictably, aroused protest among taxpayers. With the school board meeting coming up, temporary Superintendant of Pine Bush School District, Bill Bassett, discusses the budget in an effort to clarify some of the points that will inevitably arise.

"First, when we discuss Proposition One on this year's vote for the school budget, one thing that I think should be emphasized is that the increase of 6.5% is not on the tax rate, but on the tax levy," explains Bassett. "The levy is the total amount of new taxes we raise in the school district. The tax rate is almost impossible to pin down because of equalization and assessment differences over the seven towns in the Pine Bush School District. Our best estimate of the eventual tax rate increase is 5.5%."

Bassett points out some of the unexpected problems that have forced the increase on the district.

"First off, let me say that Pine Bush is a very low-spending school district," says Bassett. "In any study of schools in our state, Pine Bush comes at the bottom of the list when it comes to spending. But there are things that we just don't have control over. This year � no surprise � our fuel oil bill went up. It went up $390,000. That's one year's increase, not the total cost, of course.

"Secondly, our costs for diesel and gasoline went up too, by $205,000. And on top of those, we had one more unusual expense: a bill for $309,000 for some transportation for special education students. Put that all together, and we have a $914,000 increase that we have no control over. And I want to point out that this increase is equal to 2 percentage points of the 6.5% increase on the tax levy."

When told that some taxpayers struggle to comprehend the scale of the Pine Bush School District's budget, which comes in around $100 million, Bassett sighs in sympathy.

"People have to remember that it's a district with more than 6,000 students," says Bassett. "We have close to 1,000 employees, and we bus 6,700 children to and from school every day. It works out to 2 million miles a year. I would also make the point that we aren't spending enough on our buildings and campuses, and that's a big concern for me."

Then there's the frustrating topic of state aid. Bassett is blunt about the necessity for it.

"We are extremely dependant on state aid, because Pine Bush is one of the poorest school districts in the Hudson Valley. And that comes back to the fact that the district is overwhelmingly residential. We don't have any malls, or many businesses to help with the tax burden. So state aid is vital, and this year they've changed some of the formulas for awarding state aid, and that has hurt us.

"Our state aid increase over the last five years averaged 8.2%, and this year it was 3.86%. Then, on top of that, our Foundation Aid from the state came in $1 million less than what had been promised by Governor Spitzer. This is aid that helps school districts plan their budgets. So that was a serious loss too."

All these points come under Proposition One. Turning to Proposition Two, Bassett says, "The Excel Project provides work in all seven of our schools. It covers all sorts of things, from roof replacements, to security systems, to handicapped access, to bathrooms. It's a laundry list of things, some of which are mandated by the state. There were a couple of leaks that we had to take care of and some unit ventilators that had to be replaced. But there's no cost to the taxpayer for Excel; the shortfall was in the general operating aid.

"And, finally, we have to remember that the part of the school budget that is affected by any vote is pretty limited," he explains, "about 2.5% of the total, in fact. If the increases are turned down, then it will inevitably mean cuts in things like sports and field trips, equipment, and maintenance. There could be staff cuts, and that would end up increasing class-size. All in all, there's no easy way for a district like ours to cope with increasing numbers of students and a cut in state aid."

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