Schools

Retirement Incentive Helps Lakeland Schools Close $1.46M Deficit

Superintendent of Schools Dr. George Stone as a result, there will be no program reductions, no staff layoffs and no class sizes changes.

The acceptance of retirement incentives by Lakeland Central School District staff members have helped the district close a $1.46 million deficit in the 2013-2014 school budget, Superintendent of Schools Dr. George Stone said. 

"The retirement incentive helped us meet our deficit, but we also lose some master teachers and some very dedicated long-term employees," he said during a school board meeting last week. "All of them have certainly earned their time for themselves and their families, but we will certainly miss their service in the district."

Stone said district officials need to not only deal with the deficit from year to year, but have a longer range plan to project what the deficit is going to be each year. The district will be looking at a five-year plan, he said. 

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Because the district has been able to eliminate its deficit, which began at $5.5 million this year, there will be no programs reductions, no staff layoffs and no class sizes changes, Stone said.

Stone said the district will see some additional savings when positions in the 2013-2014 budget are vacated – but that will only occur through retirements or attrition.

Find out what's happening in Yorktown-Somerswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The proposed 2013-2014 school budget will include a tax levy increase that will be below the state tax cap, Stone said. 

Lakeland board of education members are expected to approve Lakeland's proposed budget on April 4. The 2013-2014 budget will be presented to district voters on May 21 at Van Cortlandtville Elementary School.

Students who attend Lakeland School District schools come from six different towns: the towns of Yorktown, Cortlandt and Somers in Westchester County, as well as Carmel, Philipstown and Putnam Valley in Putnam County.

Editor's Note: The article has been changed since it's orginal publication. The 2013-2014 budget will include a tax levy increase that will be below the state tax cap, not the 2-percent tax cap as originally stated. Patch regrets the error. 


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