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SCHOOL BUSINESS
& FINANCE
In fulfillment of the Board of Education's commitment to full disclosure in the school district's financial operations, this page has links to some of the more frequently requested financial documents and information.
In this section...
• Announcements
• 2010-11 School Budget
• The School Budget Explained
• Capital Projects Financial Reporting
• Reports & Presentations
• Auditor's Reports
• Monthly Financial Reports
• How to Calculate Your School Taxes
• Nassau County Assessment Information
• How to Contact the Business Office
Assistant Superintendent Wins Award for Outstanding Service
Joseph C. Dragone, Assistant Superintendent for Business at Roslyn Public Schools, was awarded the Philip B. Fredenburg Memorial Award for Outstanding Service at the annual conference of the New York State Association of School Business Officials (NYSASBO).
Mr. Dragone was presented the award on June 7, 2010 in Saratoga Springs in recognition "of his long and meritorious service to children, the NYSASBO and the educational community."
The award comes with a $500 cash prize that Mr. Dragone plans to donate to a private fund that provides assistance to disadvantaged Roslyn children, enabling them to participate in school-sponsored programs, and a $1,000 scholarship which he will offer to a student from the Roslyn Public Schools.
June 18, 2010
Mr. Dragone Responds to Newsday Article About Taxes
The following is the full text of a letter to the editor of Newsday by Assistant Superintendent for Business Joseph C. Dragone in response to an article about school taxes.
I commend your attempt to explain in your article, "Many Factors Behind Higher School Tax Rates", the very complex subject of taxes in Nassau County, but I want to correct the record on two particular statements.
First: "Roslyn projected a 1.09 percent hike on the average house; its actual increase is 4.63 percent."
The actual increase on the average home in Roslyn was 2.43%. You confused two concepts: tax rate and tax bill. The Roslyn School District made an extraordinary effort to contain costs and taxes in the 2009-10 school budget, resulting in a budget increase of only 0.63% over last year. However, due to a reduction in state aid, the imposition of the MTA payroll tax, and the collapsing economy which resulted in significant reductions in the interest we can earn on our funds, the tax levy (the amount of money the school district collects in taxes from the entire community) had to increase 1.31%. We projected in May, when the voters went to the polls, that this would result in an increase in the average homeownerâ??s tax bill (the amount of money paid by an individual homeowner) of only 1.09%. Then, in August, Nassau County increased by 1.25% the proportion of taxes levied on homeowners compared to businesses in Roslyn. That is the only reason that the average tax bill went up by 2.43% instead of the 1.09% we had projected. I recognize that it takes more effort and more space to explain this properly, but it is not fair to imply that we misled our voters. I have attached the complete explanation I gave to our Board of Education and our citizens in September as soon as l learned of the impact of the shift in the adjusted base proportions.
Second: "[County Executive] Suozzi also has noted that county spending accounts for only 16.4 percent of property taxes, and that he has kept county property taxes level in six of his past seven budgets."
The fact is that the vast majority of county revenue comes from sources other than the property tax. County property taxes have remained level not because the county is spending less money, but rather because the countyâ??s revenues from sales taxes and fees charged for services (such as entry fees to county parks) have increased dramatically. The county can try to shift the blame to school districts, but I would challenge the county to match our 0.63% increase in expenditures before doing so!
There is information on the State Comptroller's website concerning Nassau County's finances that helps to illustrate this point. Property taxes account for less than 20% of the county's revenue. More than 20% comes from sales taxes (a revenue source that is not available to school districts and which has increased dramatically in the past 12 years) and the remaining 60% comes from other sources such as state and federal aid, charges for services, etc. By comparison, Roslyn (like most other school districts) relies for most of its revenue (more than 90%) from the property tax, since other sources of revenue are minimal. We get no sales tax. We cannot charge for services. State aid accounts for less than 5% of our budget. Nevertheless, Nassau County's budgeted expenses increased at a much faster rate than Roslyn's. This is why repeating the county's claim that "county spending accounts for only 16.4% of the property taxes" is misleading.
November 17, 2009
Roslyn School District Earns High Bond Rating
The Roslyn School District has been assigned a bond rating of Aa2, Moody's Investors Service announced on March 9, 2009. The high rating will enable the district to refinance much of its existing debt at lower rates of interest, thereby saving taxpayers money on the repayment of its debt obligations.
In assigning the Aa2 rating, Moody's cited "the district's strong financial position", noting that the district maintains healthy reserves and manageable debt levels. "Moody's believes the district will continue to maintain a strong financial position given the conservative budgeting practices and management's commitment to maintaining healthy reserve levels," the company said in a statement.
Moody's also noted that the recommendations of the New York State Comptroller to strengthen the district's fiscal oversight and control in the aftermath of the embezzlement "have now been fully implemented by the new management team and are evinced by the district's strong financial position."
The school district reported earlier in the current school year that it was able to obtain highly favorable interest rates for its short-term borrowing last summer, just prior to the deepening of the crisis in the financial markets. This latest positive news about the district's bond rating indicates that the district and its taxpayers will continue to benefit from lower interest rates on both its short- and long-term borrowing.
March, 2009
The School Budget for 2010-11
Budget Documents:
• 2010-11 Proposed Budget
• Budget Adjustments since First Draft
Linked above is the proposed school budget adopted by the Board of Education on April 20, 2010. Below the budget link is a list of spending adjustments made to the budget since the publication of the first draft in February. The budget proposal carries a 1.12% budget-to-budget increase. The estimated tax levy increase will be 0.66%.
The Proposed Budget document contains 11 different ways of viewing the budget. Open the link for 2010-11 Proposed Budget to view the following sections:
| Summary by Function | Pages 1-2 | Why do we need this? |
| Line by Line by Function | Pages 3-28 | |
| Summary by Object | Pages 29-30 | What are we buying? |
| Line by Line by Object | Pages 31-58 | |
| Summary by Location | Page 59 | Where will it be used? |
| Line by Line by Location | Pages 60-84 | |
| Summary by Program | Page 85 | Which instructional program? |
| Line by Line by Program | Pages 86-112 | |
| Summary by Administrator | Page 113 | Who is responsible? |
| Line by Line by Administrator | Pages 114-138 | |
| Detailed Budget | Pages 139-290 |
Newsletter:
Budget Notice:
• Budget Notice (mailed to all residents prior to the vote, as prescribed by New York State)
Proposition 3 — Capital Projects:
Proposition 3 would authorize the expenditure of funds from the Capital Reserve Fund for the district's ongoing capital improvement program. Approval of this referendum would have no impact on the tax levy in 2010-11, as funds have already been set aside for this purpose. Please read page 6 of the budget newsletter for more information.
For more information about capital projects undertaken over the last several years, please visit the Capital Improvements Program page.
Tax Calculator:
• Tax Levy Projection and Homeowners' 2010-11 School Tax Calculator
Board of Education Budget Calendar:
(All meetings in the Board Room of the Administration Building, unless otherwise noted)
February 11 • Initial discussions, presentation by Dr. Brenner
February 25 • (at RHS) Program Initiatives, Technology, Special Education
March 11 • Facilities, Capital Projects, Transportation
March 25 • Enrollment, Staffing, Salary & Benefits
April 8 • Revenue & Tax Rate
April 20 • Board adoption of proposed budget
May 6 • Budget hearing
May 18 • Budget vote
Presentations to the Board of Education & Community:
• Initial Budget Presentation
Dr. Dan Brenner, Superintendent of Schools - February 11
• Program Initiatives
Dr. Frank Banta, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction - March 4
• Physical Education, Health, Intramurals, Recreation and Interscholastic Athletics
Joanna Commander, Interim Athletic Director - March 4
• Special Education
Dr. Stuart Grossman, Director of Pupil Personnel Services - March 4
• Technology and Human Resources
Dr. Edward A. Salina, Jr., Assistant Superintendent for Administration - March 4
• Facilities and Operations
Thomas Mohrman, Assistant to the Superintendent for Operations - March 11
• Transportation
Joseph C. Dragone, Assistant Superintendent for Business - March 11
• Salaries & Benefits
– Charts
Joseph C. Dragone, Assistant Superintendent for Business - March 25
• Staffing & Enrollment
Dr. Edward A. Salina, Jr., Assistant Superintendent for Administration - March 25
• Capital Improvements / Bathrooms, Asphalt
Thomas Mohrman, Assistant to the Superintendent for Operations - April 8
• Revenue and Tax Levy
Joseph C. Dragone, Assistant Superintendent for Business - April 8
Roslyn's School Report Cards for 2008-09:
The School Budget Explained...The following series of articles explain some of the more arcane and complicated aspects of school budgets. • Reserve Funds — NEW• Budget Codes• The School Budget Vote• Contingency Budgets• Fund Balance• Property Taxes |
Capital Project Financial Report
• Explanatory Presentation to the Board of Education, March 11, 2010
HOW TO USE THE REPORT: AN EXAMPLE
The Middle School Roof Replacement project was funded during two consecutive fiscal years (2005-06 and 2006-07) using an SED project number of 0006-018. The total amount allocated to the project was $518,071.33 as shown on page 1 including $380,328.55 from sub-fund 2509 (meaning it was the 9th project funded during the 2005-06 school year) and $137,742.78 from sub-fund 2609 (the 9th project funded during the 2006-07 school year). For those who are interested in more information than that, they are directed to the "Summary Report" for this project which starts on page 14 where they can see how the money was spent:
| $19,217.33 | on | 201 - Construction Management; |
| $30,289.78 | on | 245 - Architectural Services; |
| $5,881.00 | on | 246 - Engineering Fees; |
| $428,273.35 | on | 293 - General Construction; and |
| $34,409.87 | on | 295 - Plumbing. |
For those who are interested in even more detail, they are directed to the "Detail Report" beginning on page 61 where they can see the specifics about the payments made to School Construction Consultants, BJLJ Engineers and Architects, Marfi Contracting and Advanced Conservation Systems including the number, date and amount of each check as well as transfers into and out of each account as they were specifically approved by the board of education.
—July 6, 2010
Reports to the Board of Education
Capital Projects
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Dan Brenner presented a report to the Board of Education on November 19, 2009 about two possible capital projects for 2010-11: the renovation of the high school cafeteria and the rebuilding of the high school field house. Click here to see the presentation.
A subsequent report presented by Dr. Brenner on December 17 reviewed recommendations for district-wide projects and funding sources for the next several years. Click here to see the presentation.
ScholarChip Technology
Assistant Superintendent for Administration Dr. Edward A. Salina, Jr. presented a report to the Board of Education on November 5, 2009 about a technological modernization initiative that is creating a college campus-like environment at Roslyn High School. Click here to see the presentation.
Transportation Services
Assistant Superintendent for Business Joseph C. Dragone presented a report to the Board of Education on the district's transportation services on October 22, 2009. Click here to see the presentation.
Student Enrollment
Assistant Superintendent for Administration Edward A Salina, Jr. presented an analysis to the Board of Education on October 22, 2009 on student enrollment in 2008-09 and 2009-10. Click here to see the presentation.
Cafeteria Update
Food Services Manager Elizabeth McLoughlin presented an update to the Board of Education on the district's food services on September 10, 2009. Click here to see the presentation.
AUDITORS' REPORTS
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2009:• Independent Auditor's Report for 2008-09
• Board's Response to Independent Auditor's Report for 2008-09
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2008:
• Independent Auditor's Report for 2007-08
• Board's Response to Independent Auditor's Report for 2007-08
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2007:
• Independent Auditor's Report for 2006-07
• Board's Response to Independent Auditor's Report for 2006-07
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2006:
• Independent Auditor's Report for 2005-06
• Independent Auditor's Report with Supplemental Information for 2004-05 and 2005-06
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2005:
• Independent Auditor's Report for 2004-05
• Independent Auditor's Report with Supplemental Information for 2003-04 and 2004-05
Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2004:
• Independent Auditor's Report for 2003-04
MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORTS
• 2009-10 School Year
• 2008-09 School Year
• 2007-08 School Year
• 2006-07 School Year
• 2005-06 School Year
NASSAU COUNTY ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
Homeowners can look up information about their individual assessments and other related property data at this Nassau County site. Just click on "Property Search".
The Roslyn Board of Education offers the maximum property tax exemption allowed by law to low-income senior citizens and persons with disabilities and limited income. Click here for more information.
CONTACT US
Questions about the business and finance operations of the school district may be directed to the office of Joseph C. Dragone, Assistant Superintendent for Business.
Telephone: 516-801-5030
Fax: 516-801-5037
Email: jdragone@roslynschools.org
