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Hendrick Hudson board reviews elementary reconfiguration costs; officials say no clear savings yet
Summary
District staff presented preliminary costs tied to the elementary-school restructuring, including roughly $210,000 in moving costs and $25,000 in teacher reorganization pay; officials said long-term savings are not yet evident and transportation aid calculations depend on audited prior-year expenses.
The Hendrick Hudson Central School District Board of Education received a cost update on the elementary-school reconfiguration during its Nov. 20 meeting, with staff saying implementation expenses have been recorded but net savings will not be clear until year-end and audited figures are available.
Jill Figueroa, who led the cost presentation, said the district paid about $25,000 to recognize 52 teachers who reorganized classrooms, and reported roughly $6,000 in overtime for technology and about $14,000 to move and adjust flat-panel displays. An outside moving company's work was estimated at about $210,000 (presenter stated an earlier estimate of $212,000 and that actual costs 'ended up being about 210'). Figueroa emphasized those figures are projections and subject to revision once all invoices and audited prior-year expenses are finalized.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Joe Figrella (introduced earlier by the superintendent) told the board the district's transportation aid ratio had risen to about 40—6% (reported as 40 to 41%) from roughly 32.2% the year before, and that fuel- and mileage-related savings from the reconfiguration looked small in the district's early accounting: staff estimated a daily mileage reduction of about 177 miles, which they translated into approximately $7,600——6 in annual fuel savings based on current fuel prices. Figrella cautioned that state transportation aid is calculated on prior-year allowable expenditures and that any change in aid will depend on final audited spending.
Board members asked whether additional staff positions listed in restructuring-related materials were new because of the reconfiguration or would have been hired regardless. Figueroa said some positions (an E&L teaching position, a kindergarten special-education position, and two teaching assistants) were budgeted or needed regardless of the reconfiguration, noting "we had definitely added those positions except that they would have been added anyway." She said the district plans to track class-size and staffing changes and present a detailed fiscal recap during budget season.
On next steps, district leaders told the board they will provide a more comprehensive budget-season accounting that distinguishes one-time implementation costs (moving, technology, temporary overtime) from recurring staffing and service costs, and will delineate where restructuring-related expenses appear in department budgets. The board asked staff to return with updated projections and clarifications during the 2025 budget process.
Outcome: The board pulled fiscal item 5.4 from the consent agenda for discussion and approved the consent agenda without that fiscal piece; staff agreed to return with more detailed budget-year figures for board review.
