To the Editor:
The RCSD budget is coming up for its annual ask-no-questions vote. Surprisingly, the Board of Education found the Superintendent’s originally submitted budget to be perfect. Not a single thing to change. I find that very odd given that enrollment is down almost 600 students since the peak in 2016. That’s more students than attend any single Rye elementary school.
A resident might expect that with such a significant drop in enrollment that there would be some decrease in staffing. Time for a re-think if you live in Rye. While there has been some reduction in central office administrative staffing, school-based staffing has actually increased since 2016 when there were 355+ student-facing staff and 2023 when there were 367+ in-school personnel. This change has got to produce excellent student/faculty stats, but has had little impact on Rye school rankings (See US News & World Report rankings showing Rye as 3rd amongst its peers in 2018 and 6thin 2024).
Just as interesting is the District’s history of over-budgeting as seen in the audited financials. Every single year since at least 2011, Rye City Schools have spent materially less than budgeted. Since 2011, the amount taxed but not spent is $49.7 million. Some of that money has been banked as reserves, which now are a bit over $19 million. Some of the planned-surpluses have been used to spread tax increases over multiple years. Regardless, Rye school taxes have been historically higher than required to fund school operations.
So while our Board of Education clearly thinks the Superintendent’s budget is perfect, taxpayers and parents should be raising all kinds of questions about the value for money they are getting — especially when a budget-cap busting budget is coming up for a vote.
Bob Zahm