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Arkport School District Looking at a Tax Levy Increase in Tuesdays Vote

May 10, 2017

ARKPORT, NY – Arkport is one of the few local districts that will see a significant tax and spending increase for the 2017-18 school years. The total budget Arkport residents will be looking to approve comes in at $10,661,353.

The budget calls for a 3.29 percent increase in spending or $316,847 over 2016-17 and carries a 1.74 percent increase or $59,915, which is still below the maximum allowable cap. This budget includes a $100,000 capital project for locker room renovations.

Transportation costs seem to be the glutton in this budget increasing 28% over the 2016-17 school years. The major contributing factor for this jump are the purchase of two new school buses at $120,000 each.

Also affecting transportation costs was the possibility of merging Canaseraga into their sports programs which would at minimum create three or four extra bus runs per afternoon with added supervision costs. On the ballot will be a proposition to purchase two new school buses, one equipped with a wheelchair lift, at a cost not to exceed $240,000.

Also the board will be looking to elect one member to the Board of Education. It’s a five-year term beginning in July. Currently no candidates have filed nominating petitions for the open seat; therefore a write-in candidate with the most votes will win the seat. If there are no write-in votes, state law allows the current board members to appoint a qualified resident to fill the vacancy.

Residents will vote on the proposed budget on May 16th from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the small gymnasium at the high school. After the vote, residents will be asked to take an optional anonymous survey about the district moving forward with a merger study between Arkport and Canaseraga . Areas of interest on the survey would be the impact on student enrollment, academic programs, athletics, facilities, transportation, staffing, and finances.


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