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BEDFORD, N.Y.-- Next year's $121,698,040 school budget is expected to be approved Wednesday night at the Bedford Central School District Board of Education meeting.
The nominees for the three uncontested board seats should also be announced at the meeting. Nominating petitions for board elections were due Monday.
Board President Susan Elion Wollin, a Bedford Village resident, will run again for a three year term. Andrew Bracco, an accountant and Mount Kisco resident, is running to officially gain the seat to which he was appointed when Mark Chernis resigned last fall. If elected to the post, Bracco would serve out the remaining two years for the seat.
Former teacher Lee Goldstein of Pound Ridge, who also tried for the seat Chernis vacated last year, will run for the position on the board being vacated by Graham Anderson this year. Anderson declined to run again.
The public will vote on the 2012-2013 budget and board members on May 15.
The budget has been has been tweaked and debated throughout the month of March. It was represented to the board in its latest format at the April 12 meeting.
Under the proposed budget the tax levy would rise by 2.69 percent to $108,063,040.
Due to the tax cap enacted by the state legislature last year, which limits tax levy increases to 2 percent, the district said strict cuts were made this year to close the gap.
Assistant Superintendent Mark Betz said the final version of the budget cuts 51.5 classified positions and 3.9 that are certified. These numbers include 37 transportation workers who will be laid off when the district fully outsources all of its transportation needs to Towne Bus Corp.
However, there are several positions that, at one point, were going to be cut that are now back in the budget. Two gym teachers, a learning specialist and a student assistance counselor would all keep their jobs under the proposed spending plan.
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