School Budget Workshop Series Kicks off Tuesday Night

As lawmakers grapple with finalizing state and federal budgets, the Three Village school district is set to formally begin its own budget creation process.

Tuesday night's 8 p.m. special school board meeting is the first in a series of five workshops which will yield a budget for the school board to officially adopt in April.

Tonight's session will start with an overview of the 2011-2012 budget, which superintendent Neil Lederer said has been reduced a little since was discussed in January.

"The anticipated increases for next year have been adjusted downward a bit," Lederer said Monday. "There's still quite a difference between anticipated revenues and anticipated expenditure increases."

According to the district's online calendar, the school board will meet for five consecutive Tuesdays in March, leading up to an April 12 meeting at which the board is expected to vote on the adoption of that budget.

The district's budget is also dependent to a degree upon the amount of state aid it could lose this year. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed a state budget which would eliminate New York's $10 billion deficit, but which would also by millions. Three Village could lose $1.4 million in state aid if Cuomo's budget passes. That could also affect the need for the district to tap into its approximately $20 million in reserve funds.

Members of the community are encouraged to help in the budget process by attending the workshops.

"We want them to participate," Lederer said. "I think it's very important. They have a voice ... and we take that into consideration."