Mamaroneck Schools Foundation Presents 2021-22 Grant Awards The Board of Education accepted a slate of four new teacher grants recommended and presented by the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation (MSF) for the 2021-2022 school year. The grants, which amount to $136,915 and will have an impact on the entire community, add to the off-cycle teacher technology grants awarded in fall, 2020, bringing the total grant funding to $239,142 for this school year. The Board and Administration expressed gratitude to MSF for its extraordinary partnership, enabling the District to fund creative, innovative programs and equipment that fall beyond the scope of the regular school budget. First Reading of District Equity Policy As part of the Board's commitment to address issues of equity and do a thorough review of policies, the Board conducted a "first reading" of the District Equity Policy, which is expected to be further discussed and adopted at the April 20th Board meeting. In addition to this policy, the Board has been reviewing other related policies, such as the District's hiring policy and the code of conduct policy. Supt.'s Recommended Budget: Review Session #3 BOE to Adopt a "Proposed Budget" April 20; Community Vote is May 18 This was the third Board of Education meeting dedicated to a comprehensive review of the 2021-2022 Superintendent's Recommended Budget, providing the Board and community a chance to drill down to the details of various budget sections. (For the previous meeting's summary, click here.) Highlights: - Assistant Superintendent for Business Operations Sylvia Wallach presented both a summary and details of expenditures associated with General Support, Administration, Operations & Maintenance, Transportation, Employee Benefits, and Debt Service.
- Ms. Wallach discussed capital project work already completed, as well as work planned at each of the schools this spring and summer. She called attention to MUFSD's talented maintenance staff, pointing to significant savings as a result of work (District projects and school-based projects) that is done internally/in-house vs. through outside contracts.
- The multi-year technology/technology equity plan currently in place created optimal conditions to support teaching and learning and tech equity among our students during the pandemic. The Recommended Budget continues to represent an ongoing investment by the Board and community to ensure that the District's IT network and infrastructure meets the demands of our continually evolving and improving educational offerings.
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By joining a municipal consortium (MEBCO), we are now seeing level funding for employee healthcare costs for the first time in many years - reflecting a significant improvement in the way healthcare costs are managed within our District. (For the past five years, the average increase in employee healthcare expenditures was 5.5%.) Upcoming Board of Education Meetings - April 13: A new meeting added to the schedule to discuss all revenue sources and answer any remaining questions
- April 20: Board adopts the budget; this version of the budget is the one the community will vote on May 18, 2021
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