In March we asked New York State school districts to complete a survey with ideas of savings and dollar amounts to be saved for Government Efficiency Plans required by 2014 Tax Freeze legislation. Although some school districts told us that demands on their time of the budget process prevented them from completing the survey, approximately 70 school districts completed the survey. Many, many thanks to all who responded.
The results provide many good ideas of possible efficiencies to be counted toward required savings under the law. I have prepared a presentation of the results in the Resource Library at http://connect.nysasbo.org/viewdocument/?DocumentKey=be2b78cf-5b5e-4943-9327-5d1dac5e40cd. Please note that these are possible ideas, and not necessarily allowable ideas. I provide a list in the last few slides of allowable and non-allowable actions, that I have learned from studying the guidance and communications with the Budget Division. I have also asked the Budget Division to sign off on these lists, but that has not happened to date. As always, as we learn more, we will share with our members.
NYSASBO is preparing a second survey of the actual submissions of school districts to the Budget Division. The purpose of the survey is to highlight the cost-saving efforts that have been going on in school districts and to give due recognition to the business officials who actually developed and submitted the plans. There are only four questions in this survey and every participant in the survey will be entered into a raffle to win one of four cash prizes of $250 each. Please watch for this survey next week.