WCSD's new gym and our current budget situation are not related!

I am very concerned that there is a misconception in the community that the construction project that has been underway at WJSHS since fall of 2009 (our new classrooms, cafeteria and gym) are the reason we’re facing a budget crisis right now. This is absolutely not the case, and I want to be sure our community understands that our current budget situation is caused by a deep cut to the operating aid we receive from the state, NOT our renovations.

The aid that WCSD receives to help pay for the building project comes from a completely different pot of money than the “state aid” we refer to when we talk about a revenue source for our budget. As such, NONE of the money used to support the building project has come from our general fund.

When the project was voted on in March of 2008, district administrators knew that the district would be able to take advantage of an all-time-high level of state building aid and a limited-time opportunity for EXCEL funding. These two funding sources combined to reduce the taxpayer impact to less than one percent, which equaled approximately $24 a year for the next 15 years adding up to a total of $360.

However, our district’s selection as one of six school districts in New York State to receive Qualified Zone Academy Bonds (QZAB) will save Watervliet taxpayers an estimated $3.7 million in interest payments, reducing the tax impact on homeowners to zero.

I have also heard that people in the community are saying that we have gone above the original cost of the project and that is why our budget is in its current condition. Let me stress that with any bond or annual budget that the voters approve, the Board of Education can only spend up to the specific amount approved in the vote. By law, the district can not and HAS NOT spent any more on this project than the $21.7 million approved by voters in March of 2008.

I just want to be sure that people understand that we lost almost 10% of the aid we rely on from the state. That is the reason we are facing cuts and lay-offs... NOT our new facilities.