LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - FEBRUARY 7, 2021 On Wednesday, February 10, 2021, residents of the Le Roy Central School District will be asked to participate in a capital project referendum. The Facilities Committee and the Board of Education have REVISED two separate propositions that meet essential infrastructure needs and program enhancements at both the Wolcott Street and Jr/Sr High Schools. A project newsletter was sent to all district residents. The project newsletter and other relevant documents associated with the project are posted on the district's website at www.leroycsd.org . The New York State Legislature has given all Districts in the state an opportunity to use tax dollars to enhance their communities through school building improvements and renovations. This is an opportunity to keep some of those tax dollars in our own community, working to improve the educational setting for our children and the public. How does New York State determine the Building Aid Ratio for Capital Projects? Each district is assigned a building aid ratio based on a complex formula that is related to the property wealth of a school district. The building aid ratio is the percentage of the total project costs that are eligible for building aid that would be paid for by the state. The balance of the costs would be the local share for the project. What is the Building Aid Ratio for Le Roy CSD? The scope and need of our project, which includes cost of materials, supplies, and work would be astronomical if we included it in our yearly budget. A capital project is a fiscally responsible alternative because New York State reimburses a vast majority of the cost, and the expense is spread out over a longer period of time. Consequently, we utilize State Building Aid to pay for a high percentage of a capital project. For Proposition 1, Le Roy CSD would receive 88% of State Building Aid to cover the project. The rest of the cost is offset with our Capital Reserve Fund (8%) and 4% remains with a local share (tax). If both Proposition 1 and 2 passed, we would receive 88% in State Building Aid, use 6% of our Capital Reserve, and 6% remains in a local share. Are all New York State Schools Building Aid Ratio the same as Le Roy at 88%? No. It is different for every school. The formula is calculated relative to the property wealth of a school district. Is Le Roy CSD the only school district proposing a Capital Project during this pandemic? No. There are many school capital projects that have already passed around the state in their respective communities maximizing building aid cost. Here are just a few examples in our area which include their approval date and cost of the project: • Iroquois (Oct 6) $19 million • Waterloo (Dec 8) $19 million • Marion (Dec 8) $14 million • Alexander (Dec 9) $15 million • Oneida City (Dec 9) $21.6 million • Letchworth (Dec 15) $20 million • Clymer (Dec 15) $4.5 million • Eden (Dec 15) $15.8 million • Newfane (Dec 15) $30.5 million • Geneseo (Jan 26) $15.5 million How much does Le Roy spend per pupil compared to other school districts? Using last year's data, Le Roy spends $19,670 per pupil. The following is an example of what school districts in our area spend per pupil: • Pavilion $27,106 • Byron-Bergen $26,487 •Oakfield-Alabama $25,774 • Elba $24,564 • Pembroke $23,257 • Warsaw $22,190 • Attica $21,574 • Letchworth $21,025 • Batavia $20,892 • Alexander $19,663 Le Roy CSD placed 45 out of 430 upstate school districts in cost-effectiveness in a recent October 2020 ranking. The formula to rank cost-effectiveness was based on a district's academic score compared to the amount it spends per pupil. The lower the ranking, the more cost-effective the district is. All of the 430 schools included in this ranking are from the eight region markets -Albany, Binghamton-Elmira, Plattsburgh, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica-Rome, Watertown, and Buffalo- Niagara Falls. What is Le Roy CSD's current average number of students at each grade-level? The average grade-level size is 93 students for grades K -12. The enrollment data at Le Roy CSD has stayed steady over the past five years, averaging around 1180 to 1200 students (in and out of district) Pre-K-12. The district has tried to make every effort to provide our residents with relevant and factual information so that you can be an informed voter on February 10th. Voting will take place from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM in the Wolcott Street School Trigon Gym Corridor. Communities all across the state are using the metrics set by the State of New York to offset the cost for proposed projects just like ours. Why would our community not consider bringing tax dollars from around the state back here to Le Roy to support our project? There is no debate that this project is terribly important for the future of both the Le Roy CSD and our district taxpayers. With an imposed Tax Cap Formula from the state, Le Roy CSD has made every effort to be fiscally responsible with our yearly budgets. For each one ofus that has graduated from a public high school in New York State, we all were the fortunate beneficiaries of current and past district residents that invested in our future. Please come out and vote on February 10th. Sincerely, Merritt Holly Superintendent of Schools To Le Roy Central School District Residents Merritt Holly, Superintendent of Schools mholly@leroycsd.org Phone (585) 768-8133 · Fax (585) 768-5505