PINE BUSH – Superintendent Phil Steinberg presented his proposed budget for the Pine Bush School District for 2010-2011 at the Pine Bush School District Board of Education Meeting on March 9.

The proposed budget comes to $98,306,426. Of this, some $47,698,409 will come from the tax warrant, and $45,295,806 will come from state aid. The remainder will be made up through use of the $4 million from the district's fund balance, and $1,312,211 from other sources of revenue, including interest, rents, and tuition fees.

There would be a $1,830,144 rise in the tax warrant, which would translate to a 3.99 percent increase for taxpayers across the district (note that the differing valuations and equalization rates in the separate towns in the district will produce different numbers).

Steinberg explained that just keeping the budget the way it was last year, without making cuts, would have forced an 18.06 percent tax increase, for a budget totaling $104,760,490.

"In these times, that is impossible," he said. So a reduction of $6,454,064 has been made.

However, contrary to earlier projections, some of the cuts will be less severe than was first feared.

For example, there will be a 30 percent reduction in the athletics budget. That means that modified teams will be cut, but some, though not all, junior varsity programs will continue.

Extra-curricular activities will also take a 30 percent cut, but will not be cut completely across the board. A savings of $300,849 will be achieved from these cuts.

Music, for example, will remain, with elementary and middle school band escaping the axe, along with high school music electives.

Another program that has been saved is seventh grade foreign language classes, "because we recognize how important this is for the children," said Steinberg.

Steinberg also said that the administration was costing out the JV and varsity sports programs, and would probably have a definitive answer on what will be kept by the end of this week.

Roseanne Sullivan, vice-president of the board, asked when a completely finished budget would be available for the board. Steinberg said that it would done by the next board meeting, March 23.

Sullivan also asked what might happen if the state were to come up with some give-backs of state aid. Steinberg said that "it all depends on the timing. If it happened soon, then it might change some things. If it happens later, then it would go into the fund balance."

John Anthony, president of the board of education, said that since 80 percent of the budget was in program salaries, a lot depended on a pay freeze or a give-back by teachers and administrators. Steinberg said that the administration has put a proposal for a give-back on the table, but that such negotiations could not be carried out in public.