The final version of the Roslyn School district’s proposed 2017-18 budget calls for a 0.43 percent property tax increase to help fund $107.1 million in spending, Joseph Dragone, the assistant superintendent for business and administration, said at last Thursday’s school board meeting.

The budget totals $700,000 less than prior drafts, which will increase spending from last year by 1.98 percent rather than an anticipated 1.99 percent.

“This budget has been a living, breathing document,” said Allison Brown, the district superintendent.

The 0.43 percent property tax increase is well below the 1.21 percent increase in revenue allowed under the state’s tax cap law.

“Dollar for dollar, let’s not save it; let’s give it back to the taxpayers,” Dragone said of keeping the tax increase under the cap.

Since the district’s last Board of Education meeting on March 24, district officials made minor additions and removals from the budget, resulting in the slight decrease in spending from past versions.

The additional expenses were “driven by board goals, added enrollment and student interests,” Brown said. In order to accommodate them, “there are things we had to go back to the budget and start taking out. We’re still OK but we are pulling back.”

At its last board meeting, the district expected to add 53 kindergarteners next year, but a further increase in enrollment over the last couple weeks requires administrators to increase the number of kindergarten classes to 11 from 9, Brown said.

“With that comes a teacher assistant needed to add to the budget as well as new furniture,” Brown said.

The secondary school will also incur additional expenses when it opens new sections of pre-calculus, geometry and math lab, Brown said.

Three new high school clubs and bolstered nighttime security were the final budget additions.

“It’s the continuation of a discussion about our security upgrade,” Brown said. “I truly believe we need another security aide and a vehicle at night in order to protect the area. It doesn’t allow kids on the property at night doing things they wouldn’t do during the day.”

The proposed budget accommodates the added expenses by cutting costs from departments or initiatives that often come in under budget, Dragone said.

“One of the goals was can we look at areas traditionally over-appropriated and get what we need while reducing those appropriations,” he said.

The cuts reduced the athletic department budget and decreased the allocation for contingency assistant special education instructors. 

“We budgeted as if every kid makes it to championship but every kid doesn’t,” Brown said. “We pulled back but would budget for it if needed.”

Residents will vote on the district’s adopted budget on May 16 at Roslyn High School from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.