WBFO 88.7
Bert Gambini
Buffalo
BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) - Voters across Western New York Tuesday approved most of the area school budgets.
Spending plans, however, were defeated in North Tonawanda, Iroquois, Medina and Batavia. But largest districts with budgets on the ballot yesterday all saw their proposals approved, including Amherst, Williamsville, West Seneca, Lancaster, Frontier, and Ken-Ton.
The Ken-Ton District said voters approved a proposed budget of $147,237,067.
“We thank the community for their continued support of our schools. Parents were passionate in their pleas to preserve programs, and we listened to them loud and clear when preparing this budget. Families of our district are tightening their budgets, and so are we. This year’s budget is actually lower than last year’s budget, and every single employee will see less money in their paycheck next year because of wage freezes or concessions,” said Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District Superintendent Mark P.Mondanaro.
The Ken-Ton budget 2011-2012 does cut the District workforce by 73 positions.
Many of the budgets cut jobs in order to save money, yet still required tax increases to balance the books.
I Lockport, voters approved the budget, but rejected an a nearly $6 million capital amendment to improve its athletic fields.
Statewide, over 90% of school district budgets passed Tuesday. The Alliance for Quality Education issued the following statement:
Statement of Billy Easton, Executive Director:
“The school budget votes resoundingly show that local taxpayers are prepared to do their part, unfortunately thousands of teachers and hundreds of programs will be lost as a result of Governor Cuomo’s massive cuts in state funding. There is still time to restore some teachers and programs; yesterday Assembly Speaker Silver reintroduced the millionaires’ tax with funding set aside for schools, but we need Governor Cuomo’s leadership.
Yesterday’s vote shows that New Yorkers want to protect the quality of education. The tax cap proposed by the Governor would take the power of this vote out of the hands of local voters and would enforce additional damaging cuts on the classroom.”
© Copyright 2011, WBFO
