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Proposed $29,061,903 Budget and
Three Board Seats on
Ballot
Residents of the Greater Johnstown School District will
go to the polls on Tuesday, May 20, to vote on a
proposed $29,061,903 budget for the 2008-09 school year.
The proposed budget calls for a 7.2 percent increase in
spending compared to the current school year’s budget,
with a projected tax levy increase of 2.7 percent.
Residents will vote on two different issues:
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On a proposed $29,061,903 budget for 2008-09,
with the average property tax rate increasing by 2.7 percent.
What is included in the budget?
The proposed spending plan continues to provide
quality educational programs for all children,
including for instructional programs,
extra-curricular activities and athletic programs.
One new custodial position is included in the budget
that would allow maintenance staff to keep the
facilities - including the new classrooms and
auditorium at the high school - maintained to
the district's standards.
What costs
are expected to rise?
The district is anticipating significant cost
increases in several areas over which school
officials have little or no control. These include
health insurance, energy and fuel costs and special
education programs. In addition, the district will
begin paying for costs associated with new
construction and renovations under a capital project
approved by residents in May 2007 and October 2005.
Added together, these mandatory cost increases
represent approximately 82 percent of the proposed
budget increase. The remaining 18 percent of the
increase covers contractual obligations and other
costs rising because of inflation.
Spending plan includes funding for buses.
If a majority of voters approve the budget, the
Board of Education plans to purchase four school
buses at a principal cost not to exceed $400,000.
The new buses would allow the district to continue
to upgrade its fleet by replacing older,
high-mileage vehicles with new vehicles. State aid
would cover 90 percent of the cost. Johnstown would
purchase the buses under a five-year lease-purchase
agreement, with the firs payment due during the
2009-10 school year.
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The election of three candidates to fill
positions on the Board of Education. Residents
will elect candidates to fill three vacancies on the
Greater Johnstown School District Board of
Education. Three individuals filed petitions with
the district clerk on or before the April 30
deadline and will appear on the ballot. Those
individuals are: Scott Miller, Leslie
Buggeln-Bosworth and Robert Curtis.
What Happens
If Voters Don't Approve the 2008-09 Budget?
Under state law, school boards may submit a budget to
voters a maximum of two times.
If a budget is defeated twice, the board must adopt a
contingency budget, which would put a cap on new
spending. Based upon a formula, this year’s spending cap
is 3.36 percent. (Some exclusions are allowed.)
If a contingency budget is adopted, the spending plan
for Johnstown would be $28,562,363.
The contingency budget assumes that certain expenditures
(including four school buses, equipment, the
district’s technology upgrades and student supply items) would not be purchased. In addition,
outside groups would have to be charged to use school
facilities and several positions or programs
would have to be eliminated. There have been no other assumptions made. The
Board of Education would review available options if
the proposed spending plan is not approved by the
voters.
If
a contingency budget is adopted, under state law
there can be no more votes on a budget this year.
Also, the district could not offer any propositions to
reinstate any specific components removed from the
budget in order to meet the spending cap imposed by a
contingency budget.
Basic STAR Exemption Impact
Estimated Basic STAR
Exemption savings based on a hypothetical home
within the school district with a full value of
$100,000.
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Proposed Budget
2008-09 |
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Basic STAR tax savings |
$469.80 |
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Polling Information
Polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. Voters must
be U.S. citizens, age 18 or older and residents
of the district for at least 30 days prior to
the vote. Advanced registration is required.
Polling Places
For residents of the City of Johnstown
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Ward 1 – Pleasant Avenue School
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Ward 2 – Jansen Avenue School
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Ward 3 – Knox Junior High School
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Ward 4 – Johnstown Public Library
For residents of the Town of Johnstown
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District 1 - If you vote in general
elections at the Town Hall on Rte 29, vote
at Knox Jr. High
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District 3 - If you vote in general
elections at Meco Firehouse, vote at
Pleasant Ave. School
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District 4 - If you vote in general
elections at Sir Wm. Johnson Firehouse, vote
at Pleasant Ave. School
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District 5 - If you vote in general
elections at Sammonsville Firehouse #2, vote
at Johnstown Public Library
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District 6 - If you vote in general
elections at Berkshire Firehouse, vote at
Jansen Ave. School
For residents of the Towns of Ephratah and
Palatine
How to Cast a
Vote
When you enter the voting booth move the large red lever
to the right to begin the voting process.
To vote “yes” or “no” for any proposition on the ballot,
turn down the appropriate lever(s).
To vote for a candidate listed on the ballot, turn down
the lever next to his or her name. To vote for anyone
other than the candidate(s) listed on the ballot, cast a
write-in vote. You may vote for as many individuals as
there are available offices (ie, three Board of
Education seats).
To cast a write-in vote, slide open the write-in slot
and write in the name of your candidate. Some voting
machines have their write-in slot to the left of the
ballot and others have their write-in slot above the
ballot. If you are voting both with levers and by
write-in, you should use the levers first, as once you
have raised a write-in slide you cannot close it and you
cannot use the lever to vote for that office. Write-in
ballots with minor spelling errors will be credited to
the appropriate candidate as long as they are reasonably
identifiable.
When you are finished making your selections, pull the
red voting lever back to its original position. This
will cause the write-in slots to close and the levers
will return to the upward position, recording your vote
for tabulation by the Election Inspectors after the
close of the polls.
There will be three Election Inspectors situate at each
polling site. If you have questions regarding operation
of the machines, you may always ask them for assistance.
How
do I Apply for an Absentee Ballot?
Voters who are registered with the County Board of Elections
as permanently disabled will automatically be mailed an
absentee ballot. Any other qualified voter who will be unable
to vote in person due to illness, physical disability,
hospitalization, incarceration (unless incarcerated for
conviction of a felony), travel outside the county of
residence for business, studies or vacation must submit an
absentee ballot application prior to receiving an
absentee ballot.
The properly completed
absentee ballot application
must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before
the election if the voter wants a ballot mailed to him/her; or
the day before the election, if the ballot is to be given to
the voter in person.
For an
absentee ballot application, contact the District Clerk
at 762-4611 ext 119.
When are Absentee
Ballots due?
If you are provided with an official absentee ballot, it must
be received in the office of the District Clerk not later than
5 p.m. on the day of the election, in an envelope that bears a
signed "Statement of Absentee Voter," in order to be counted
by the election inspectors.
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District Residents Head to Polls on
Tuesday, May 20
