By Joe Olenick
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal
ROYALTON —
The Royalton-Hartland School District followed the rules regarding the Middleport Library vote, but cannot void the outcome of the election and call for a new vote, according to what officials were told by the district’s attorney.
Facing economic hardships, the Middleport Library Board of Trustees approached the district in 2010 about raising library funds through property taxes. Prior to the decision being made, the Middleport Library was a free association library, meaning there was no public funding. A special vote was held in June 2011 and the measure passed by a 176-12 margin. At a meeting in December, a group of residents raised concerns over the promotion and handling of the library vote.
So the question was asked if the school district did what it was supposed to in regard to the vote. And Board of Education President Patricia Riegle informed residents of the answer at a meeting Thursday.
“What has been determined is the district did follow education law to the letter, we’ve done everything we’ve been asked to do,” Riegle said. “We were also told the Board of Education has no authority to void that vote.”
The district assisted the library in publishing four legal notices. The library held a public hearing on the budget vote in May, 10 days before the voting date. However, residents they were not properly notified of the vote.
In other district news, board members were given a presentation of Roy-Hart’s preliminary 2012-13 budget. Superintendent Kevin MacDonald said at this point, the district’s spending plan was at about $22.3 million, a slight $133,000 decrease in spending from the current school year. On the revenue side, the total so far was $21.7 million, a deficit of about $629,055.
The revenue side includes using $800,000 from the district’s appropriated fund balance and $278,133 from its debt service reserve. Nothing cut from the current school budget has been added back and all grant positions have been removed. That does not include pre-kindergarten which is covered by $117,000 in state funding.
It also includes a 2.9 percent tax levy increase, which is what the district is estimating its tax levy cap will be. Schools will not be able to figure out its cap until the state releases the tax base growth factor and consumer price index this month. In Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget Roy-Hart is slated to receive $281,173 less in aid.
Board members will meet for a budget workshop next week, 5:30 p.m. Feb. 2 at the high school on State Street. The district is also holding a coffee and conversation meeting for residents at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 15, in the high school media center. It’s a chance for people to learn about the levy cap, state aid cuts and the impact on Roy-Hart, MacDonald said.
Also Thursday, board members accepted an anonymous donation of 30 laptop computers, valued at roughly $1,000 a computer. The donation also came with a cart to move the set from classroom to classroom, it also recharges the computers when the machines are not in use.
Contact reporter Joe Olenick at 439-9222, ext. 6241.
