Superintendent seeks to reduce proposed budget increase
Goshen. The projected budget for next year is $93,085,124.
Goshen /
| 25 Mar 2024 | 04:57
The Goshen Board of Education building off Main Street in the village. (
)
The preliminary 2024-25 budget for the Goshen Central School District calls for a 5% increase, Assistant Superintendent Lorine Van Put-Lamerand announced at March 18’s Goshen Board of Education meeting.
The budget projection for next year is $93,085,124, according to Van Put-Lamerand’s presentation at the meeting. Superintendent Dr. Kurtis Kotes requested a version of the budget with a 2.9% increase. “We have to reduce on the expense side,” he said.
Board member Billy Castellane said he would like to see a budget with only a 1% increase. Van Put-Lamerand will make her next presentation to the board on April 1.
The last three years the school has had 0%, 0%, and 1% tax increases for 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24. However, the school district was also bolstered by generous increases in state aid the past two years, something not expected this year. The tax levy cap for this budget year is 5.49%.
Other business
Goshen High School has a new assistant principal. Jenelle Hindell, a Cornwall native with 21 years of experience in education, was introduced at the board meeting.
Goshen High School teacher Dillon Johnson was congratulated by the board for winning the New York State Teacher of the Year, awarded by the New York State Technology and Engineering Educators Association (NYSTEEA).
Board President Tom Loftus announced the approval of a proposal to offer expungement of behavioral records in certain circumstances. If a student is suspended only once for five days or less and it does not involve violence or drugs and alcohol, they can have their records expunged for good behavior. The measure was first proposed at the March 4 meeting of the BOE.
The board approved two school trips: for the Olympics of Visual Arts to go to Saratoga Springs May 12 and 13, and for an Odyssey of the Mind competition in Syracuse. Agreements were announced with Washingtonville School District for Goshen students to enroll in their Junior ROTC program and to all Florida school district students to join the Goshen swim team.
Assistant Superintendent John Carter announced that 58 Goshen students had received the Sojourner Truth award.
Lastly, board member Brett Weeden expressed concern for a shortage of bus drivers. “What are we doing to attract new bus drivers,” he said.