The Palmyra-Macedon Central School District Board of Education (BOE) met in the lower cafeteria at Pal-Mac High School on Tuesday, May 3.

 The meeting opened with a summary of the 2022-2023 budget proposal from Superintendent Dr. Robert Ike and Deputy Superintendent Ralph Brongo. The proposal was approved by the BOE on April 5.

 Brongo outlined the Administrative, Instructional, and Capital components of the budget. The full proposal can be found on the district’s website.

Residents with any questions may also call (315) 597-3400 and select option 7, or send email to budget@palmaccsd.org.

To recap, the proposed budget is $45,651,000. Included in the budget is a tax levy increase of 1.7%, which is lower than the allowable levy limit of 3.0%. A levy is the total amount collected by the district in a given year.

Of note, the proposed budget also includes:

- Additional support for school leadership and management to provide responsive support for increased behavioral and emotional needs of students, significant increase in data compilation reporting requirements, and the implementation of Dignity for All Students Act (DASA);

- Equipment to expand current capabilities of broadcasting athletic and extracurricular events; and

- an additional math teacher in grades 7-12 to provide academic support for struggling students.

 There are 4 items on the ballot for May 17th:

The 2022-2023 budget proposition.

A bus purchase proposition, which would authorize the Board to expend money currently held in the Bus Purchase Reserve for the purchase of one full-size replacement school bus.

A proposition authorizing the creation of a 2022 Capital Reserve Fund. The district has traditionally paid for school reconstruction and renovation only after the money to pay the local share has been saved, rather than borrowing more to pay for them. This proposition asks the voters for authorization to continue that practice.

Voters will be asked to select 3 candidates to serve on the Board of Education. There are 4 candidates on the ballot. Christopher Doyle, Gary LaBerge, and David Landon are running for re-election. Shauna Bedette is running for a first term on the Board.

When the presentation ended, both Brongo and Ike took questions from the public.

Budget notices will be mailed on May 4, in the spring 2022 issue of Pal-Mac Magazine.  The public vote for the budget will be on May 17 from 7:00 a.m.-8:30 p.m. at the Pal-Mac High School.

The board also recognized the Valedictorian and Co-salutatorians for the Class of 2022. The Valedictorian  is Ailena Reynolds-Diaz, and the Co-salutatorians this year are Riley Israel and Emily Pulcini. 

BOE member David Landon recognized the Pal-Mac music program, which just received the Best Communities for Music Education designation for the eighth-consecutive year. Lastly, Landon recognized students Greg Prober and Julia Friedman, who were featured by News 8 WROC Rochester for their act of kindness towards another student at another school.

The meeting wrapped up with tenuring being granted for three teachers; Mathematics teacher Patrick Brown, Spanish teacher Erin Ormsby, and ELA teacher Mallory Perkins.

The next board meeting will take place at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7, 2022  in the lower high school cafeteria.