RCS Board hears budget workshop reviewing student performance, pre-K hub plan and $2M in health/prescription cost pressure
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Summary
At a budget workshop following a special meeting, district staff reviewed regents and grades 3–8 assessment trends, proposed consolidating four pre-K classrooms into a single AW Becker hub, outlined a PACE lab and AI classroom tools, and warned that health and prescription increases total roughly $2 million in added costs next year.
The Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District continued a special meeting with a budget workshop in which administrators presented assessment trends, program proposals and a fiscal outlook that emphasized rising insurance and prescription costs.
Presenter opened the workshop by describing the district’s data-driven budgeting process and a staff survey used to surface classroom needs. On academic performance, the presenter said the district is "looking at some pretty positive results" in high-school math relative to state averages, but stressed persistent work is needed in Global and U.S. history and in elementary ELA. She noted that third-grade ELA pass rates rose from about 23% to 46% over three years after adopting an early-literacy curriculum.
Board members pressed the administration about middle-school assessment results and whether opt-outs (test refusal) were skewing proficiency rates. Presenter said the eighth-grade refusal rate is "closer to 40 percent," which can depress reported proficiency and is one reason eighth-grade assessment rates do not necessarily predict the English regents passing rate in 11th grade.
Program proposals in the draft budget included: • A PACE (Practical Assessment and Career Exploration) lab at the high school to provide workplace-simulation and life-skill modules; Presenter said an initial setup fee could likely be covered with grant funds but recurring costs would include a teaching assistant. • Adoption of an AI instructional platform (referred to as Magic School) for teacher and student use; the presenter said a quoted price was about $17,000 annually but that some costs are aidable through BOCES and that teachers would control and review AI outputs. • A proposed consolidation of the district’s four pre-K classrooms into a single pre-K hub (recommended location: AW Becker) to improve teacher collaboration, use shared staff more efficiently and enable before/after care; administration said transportation planning, family logistics and potential equity impacts remain unresolved and that open enrollment ends March 27 so final registrant locations will inform routing decisions.
Committee member 4, speaking to the fiscal outlook, highlighted major cost drivers: "approximately a 17% increase in health insurance premiums and a 35% increase in prescription drug costs" and estimated those two lines together represent roughly $2,000,000 in increased expense for the district. He contrasted that with the governor’s proposed 1% foundation-aid increase (estimated at about $150,000 for their district) and said the aid increase would not offset cost growth.
To close budget gaps, administration proposed rightsizing through attrition and retirements: specific examples include reducing sections at elementary schools and not filling certain anticipated retirements; the presenter estimated savings from the proposed reductions at roughly $600,000 (salary plus benefits). Board members asked for more granular staffing and route-planning data, and requested a one-page snapshot of department staffing and major budget drivers for future meetings.
Board members and administration agreed to continue work on transportation scenarios for the pre-K hub, clarify opt-out and ridership rates by grade, and circulate finer-grained staffing and budget breakdowns before the next hearing.
The meeting adjourned after the workshop.
