NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jonathan P. Raymond introduced a presentation of the draft 2022-23 budget by Interim School Business Official Bill Pastore that will push the budget over $300,000,000 for the first time in the history of the City School District of New Rochelle and per-pupil spending to historic levels.
The proposed draft 2022-23 budget is $302,012,011, an increase of 3.91% from the 2021-22 budget approved by voters in May 2021.
Despite declining enrollment, the budget includes 38 new hires.
The result of continuing to add staff as enrollment craters is a massive increase in per-pupil spending from about $23,000 per-pupil in 2015-16 to about $31,000 per-pupil proposed in 2022-23, an increase in per-pupil spending, of about 35% increase in 7 years and exceeding per-pupil spending in far wealthier neighboring districts.
Inflation has increased sharply over the past year. However the increase in per pupil cost has increased far faster than inflation which has increased 15% since 2015.
There are two Capital Projects Propositions:
$24.3 MM Bond for building repairs needed as a result of Hurricane Ida and $2 MM from the Capital Reserve Fund.
Board Member Amy Moselhi gave a long speech on the benefits of zero-based budgeting introduced 5 years by a former school business official without mentioning she was a driving force in running that same school business official out of town.