School Budget Community Workshops Begin Tuesday

The Clarkstown Board of Education will hold its first community workshop on the 2013-2014 budget process on Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. 

At Thursday night’s meeting, Board President Mike Aglialoro said more than 130 residents sent emails offering to participate in the planning sessions. A request for volunteers had been made at the September 24th board meeting. 

Volunteers have been selected for two subgroups that will meet with the board. One  subgroup will look at options at the elementary schools and the other at the middle school and high schools. Both subgroups will meet on Tuesday and then will hold separate meetings as the process continues.  Aglialoro said the public is invited to the meetings at the district’s central office. 

The board voted down a resolution for a two percent increase in usage fees of the district’s gyms, auditoriums and fields by outside groups, the same percentage it had been raised in 2012. The vote was three to two. Board member Chris Conti said he was concerned Clarkstown was pricing itself out of the market.

Assistant School Superintendent John LaNave said he thought the increase, which was based on the Consumer Price Index, was reasonable. He provided board members with comparison costs for other districts’ facilities. LaNave said Clarkstown’s fees for non profit, in-district and volunteer based groups are among the lowest in Rockland County and acknowledge its rates for for-profit groups are among the highest.

Trustee Joe Malgieri requested the board’s policy committee review and recommend changes to the fee schedule so the district is not the lowest for one type of group and the highest for another but in the middle.

“I do have a problem with the amount we are charging for-profit (groups) especially in district for-profit,” he said.