Dear Pine Bush parents and staff,

Tonight’s message covers the public hearing that will be held on the proposed 2020-21 School Budget.

At its last meeting, the Board of Education adopted a budget for next school year based on the state aid awarded to Pine Bush in the state’s adopted budget and dropping the district’s taxing authority by one full percentage point in recognition of these challenging times.

Next Tuesday, May 26, the Board will hold a public hearing on that budget at the beginning of its regular meeting beginning at 7 p.m. Since our meetings have become all virtual and live streamed, you won’t be able to attend in person, but we have devised two ways that you can participate in this public hearing.

1. We have posted a form at the top of our webpage and here that you can complete to either ask a question or make a statement. If you fill that form out, then during the public hearing, I will read all the questions and statements that people have submitted in advance, including the name and address of the person who submitted it. During in-person public hearings, speakers are always required to state their name and address.

2. The second is a real-time option. If you are watching the public hearing, and based on what you see or hear, a question or comment occurs to you that you want to be included in the public record, I will display a phone number you can call that night, and someone will transcribe your question in real time and hand it to me to be read.

The budget itself, as well as a copy of the budget presentation and a news story that explains the budget, can all be found under the Board of Education tab on our website.

During the hearing, the three candidates who are running to fill two seats on the Board of Education that are up for election this year will each have the chance to present themselves, but traditionally they do not take any questions. They will simply have three minutes to speak.

Whether you have any input for the public hearing or not, I hope you will go to our website next Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to watch the live-stream of the meeting.

On a separate note, the governor announced today that all summer school will have to be virtual, which removes our chance to hold the Summer Academies as we have in years past.

We have a nice three-day holiday weekend coming up. I hope all of you will take the opportunity to relax and renew. I wish you all a Happy Memorial Day!

Have a great evening,

Tim O. Mains, Pine Bush Superintendent