May 18, 2010 - With the passing of the 2010-11 budget on Tuesday, the North Colonie administration and Board of Education is already casting an eye to the 2011-12 budget.

State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli warned over the winter that the 2011-12 budget season could be even worse than the previous year’s due to the “funding cliff” facing the state and schools, as federal stimulus aid expires under current laws. North Colonie is slated to lose $1.2 million is school aid.

“All indications are that next year is going to be even tougher than this past year,” Superintendent Randy Ehrenberg said. “We need to be proactive and give ourselves as much time as we can to listen to our community’s needs and present a budget that represents the best interests of our students and our community.”

While many difficult decisions had to be made this past budget season, including cutting several instructional positions, it is expected that even more will have to be cut in 2011-12 to balance out the loss of state aid. While the current outlook is bleak, the district is encouraging the community to become involved in next year’s budget discussions.

“The community turnout at our budget committee meetings in March and April was tremendous and we are grateful for the high level of interest,” Ehrenberg said. “We continue to seek the public’s input and suggestions as we head into uncharted territory.”

The Board of Education anticipates holding budget committee meetings earlier in the 2010-11 school year, in order to keep abreast of the current fiscal situation. The Board will have open sessions to discuss the budget publicly and involve the community early in the 2011-12 budget process.

If you would like to get in touch with the North Colonie business office, please call 785-8591.

Please continue to visit the budget and finance page on our website to stay up-to-date on the latest budget happenings.