The Peekskill Board of Education has given its support to the proposed 2012-13 administrative budget of the Putnam/Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services and endorsed three BOCES board members for new terms.
Unlike a year ago, when Peekskill board members criticized BOCES for not doing enough to hold the line on spending, the board this year unanimously approved the $8,463,000 spending plan, which is up 0.22 percent over the 2011-12 total of $8,444,265.
The vote Tuesday night followed a presentation on administrative and other budgets by John McCarthy, BOCES assistant superintendent, and Todd Currie, director of business affairs.
To view the budget presentation, please click here, then click “view the agenda,” scroll down to item F1 and click on the attachment.
“Like you, we are trying to do more with less,” McCarthy said.
“We appreciate your efforts to hold the line, especially as we struggle,” replied board member Douglas Glickert, one of last year’s critics.
In another BOCES matter the Peekskill board unanimously voted to return Katherine Brechner of Croton-Harmon, Catherine Lilburne of Garrison and Cheryl Schwartz of Katonah-Lewisboro to the BOCES board for three-year terms. They were unopposed for three seats.
BOCES provides specialized educational and other services to member districts.
The administrative budget, which includes the district superintendent’s office, general administration, human resources and retiree benefits (65 percent of the total), is the only BOCES spending plan subject to approval by member districts; other BOCES budgets are adopted by the seven-member BOCES board. BOCES expenses are apportioned among its 18 member districts.
Besides Peekskill, member districts are Bedford, Brewster, Briarcliff, Carmel, Chappaqua, Croton-Harmon, Garrison, Haldane, Hendrick Hudson, Katonah-Lewisboro, Lakeland, Mahopac, North Salem, Ossining, Putnam Valley, Somers and Yorktown.
