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Pittsford School District gets ready to propose 2nd budget to the voters

The Pittsford School District has come up with a second budget to put before the voters, after the first one was rejected earlier this month. The school board on Wednesday night voted to submit the latest plan to the voters.

The new plan does not include the addition of full-day kindergarten, which was in the previous plan.

The new plan has an estimated tax levy increase of 2.7% which is within the NYS tax cap.

The budget that was rejected May 16th required a super-majority of at least 60 percent of the vote because that plan had gone over the tax cap.

In a letter on the district’s website, Supt. Michael Pero said that laws like the tax cap, “punish school districts like Pittsford for adding new initiatives, no matter how important.”

Pero also says a freeze on state ‘foundation’ aid has hampered budgeting efforts, even with Pittsford’s efforts at cost reductions which include more than $3 million in reductions since last September.

The vote on the second budget, which requires a simple majority for passage, is scheduled for June 20th.

If that budget fails, Pittsford would have to go to a contingent budget, which requires more drastic reductions.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.