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District Contact Include-Ilion Central School District

1 Golden Bomber Dr.

Ilion, NY 13357

Phone: 315.894.9934

Fax: 315.894.2716

Cosimo Tangorra

Superintendent

What will a new district look like and how will it affect our taxes?

The Community Advisory Committee held its tenth meeting on Sept. 29 at Frankfort-Schuyler High School. The group looked at the results of over eight months of discussion in three areas: program delivery, staffing, and the budget/tax impact of a potential merger. The "what ifs" represent the concensus of the committee members. View the agenda (PDF)

How might we deliver our program?

The recommended model enables the district to expand programs for accelerated as well as struggling students, make best use of existing buildings, make best use of transportation options, tailor teaching and curriculum to best meet needs of each grade, etc. (see the full list of opportunities and challenges)

Final configuration

  •  One PreK-4 elementary school in each school district.

  • Grades 5-6 in the current Herkimer High School

  • Grades 7-8 in the current Frankfort-Schuyler High School

  • Grades 9-12 in the current Ilion High School

  • District offices and BOCES classrooms in the current Mohawk Jarvis High School

  • Remington Elementary—rented or closed.

School times

  • PreK-4: 8:20 a.m.-2:50 p.m.

  • Grades 5-6: 8:35 a.m.-3:05 p.m.

  • Grades 7-8: 8:35 a.m.-3:05 p.m.

  • Grade 9-12: 7:55 a.m.-2:35 p.m.

Busing

The goal is that no child is on a bus longer than 1 hour; the norm would be likely 45 minutes or less. The district would use both school-owned and third party buses and rely on a larger number of smaller vehicles to improve efficiency and reduce costs. The number of bus runs would increase from 45 to 68. Walkers would continue walking if their school is in the district, otherwise they would be bused to their new school.

Staffing

Next the group reviewed their recommended administrative, instructional, and support staffing for the entire district. (view PDF of the full report)

The committee's consensus would increase efficiency and result in a reduction in the number of teachers (especially grades 7-12) and administrators. Expanded programs would require an increase in secretaries, health and social workers. For the immediate timeframe the number of teaching aides and assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and maintenance and custodial staff would remain unchanged.

Finances

Now that the committee had settled question of building use, curriculum, staffing, and transportation, the SES Study Team worked with school business officials to estimate all costs and to estimate a tax rate for each district. (read a PDF of the full financial summary)

Among the findings:

  • Even with expanded program, the merged district's first year budget is estimated to be just $10,000 more than the combined individual budgets.

  • Existing capital project debt would be reimbursed at a higher ratio saving the new district over $290,000 each year for the next four years and continued, but lesser savings over the following 10 years.

  • The new district would receive an additional $76 million in merger incentive aid.

  • Savings would be applied to reduce existing debt, build reserves, and reduce tax rates.

  • Taxes rates would fall almost 20 percent in Frankfort-Schuyler, Herkimer, and Mohawk and would remain unchanged in Ilion.

What's next?

Based on the Community Advisory Committee's work over the last eight months, the SES Study Team will draft a study report. The committee will convene near the end of October to review the draft report of the study.

SES will submit the study to the State Education Department for their review which will take about three weeks. After SED's review and approval, the Study Team will host a community forum meeting in each of the four school districts to present the study and its findings.
After the community forums, the four boards of education will vote to decide whether to hold a public vote in each community to determine interest in a merger.

What happens if all four boards or communities don't approve a vote?

  • If the boards of education choose not move ahead, the process ends.They would then be free to pursue another course. They could explore merging two or three of the districts instead of all four, consider merging with a different district or explore a regional high school.

  • If one or more communities reject the advisory referendum (straw vote), the process ends. The boards of education could then pursue other options as listed above.

  • If one or more communities reject the statutory (or binding) referendum AND at least one approves it, all reorganization stops. The districts may not pursue other alternatives.

    • The community or communities that reject the referendum may choose to revote at least one year and one day in the future (no earlier than March 1, 2013).

    • If there is no revote, the reorganization plan remains in effect for two years. None of the districts may explore other options (merger, tuitioning students, etc.) until the plan expires on March 1, 2014.

    • The community or communities that pass the referendum do not revote. (They may not change their mind.)

 

 

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