C-S school district may see 1.5% tax hike
BY BOB RECOTTA THE LEADER

CAMPBELL - The Campbell-Savona school board will vote this week on an $18.5 million budget that includes a 1.5 percent

tax hike.

District Superintendent Lynn Lyndes said the budget represented a 5.2 percent spending increase over the 2007-08 budget.

The district's tax levy, the amount needed to be raised through taxes, would in crease 1.5 percent. Based on last year's equalization rates, district taxes would also increase by 1.5 percent, Lyndes said. Equalization rates are not calculated until

August.

District Business Official Tim Allard had previously said the district would receive $13.9 million in state aid, an increase of 8 percent.

Among the additions to next year's budget are a secondary school science teacher, two elementary school support teachers and a part-t ime social studies teacher.

"We made substantial personnel cuts two years ago," he said. "We have found we cut too deeply. We've added a couple positions this year to bring us back up."

In addition to the budget, the district will also put two propositions on the ballot.

The first proposition would authorize the district to purchase four buses.

"We've gone three years without buying any buses," Lyndes said. "The fleet is starting to show its age. We've bought four buses a year forever. Starting this year, we'll be buying four buses. There will be no tax impact because we get such high state aid on transportation. The aid is spread over five years. We'll bond it for five years and the state pays the interest."

Residents will also vote on establishing a capital reserve fund, which would serve as a savings account in which the district could deposit funds left over at the end of a school year.

The board will meet at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the high school board room to adopt the budget.