Liberty Central School District school board and administration are working diligently to craft a budget to present to voters on May 21.

This year, the district began the process using a zero-based budgeting model. Rather than using a traditional model of using a set increase over the previous year, zero-based budgeting is like building a budget from scratch, using past data points to highlight needs, mapping out expected revenue from all sources and using the district’s mission, vision, beliefs and goals to help minimize overspending while providing a quality education for the students.

“This type of budgeting helps us prevent compounding mistakes from the past,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said

The first budget presentation to the board took place on Feb. 27, with a follow up on March 12.

The district’s allowable calculated tax levy cap is $18,690,105, an $929,943 increase over the current year levy. Often referenced as a 2% tax cap, the actual calculated limit is rarely 2% and is formulated using several factors, including tax base growth rate, payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreements and excludable expenses.  Districts at or below their calculated cap only need a simple majority for passage of the budget. Liberty’s calculated cap allows for 5.24% increase. The actual increase, if any, will be determined as the budget is finalized.

State aid will not be finalized until the state budget is passed, but Liberty is expecting a slight increase of $285,605 in Foundation Aid. With all sources, state aid is expected to increase $1,766,979.

The budget committee, administration and board will continue to work to create a full budget proposal by the end of the month, with the presentation at the April 2 Board of Education meeting and the budget proposal approved by the board on April 16. Meetings are held at 6:30 p.m. in the high school media center.

The public hearing will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 7, in the high school auditorium.

The budget vote will take place from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, in the h

Liberty Central School District recently announced changes to its food delivery policy on its campuses, as well as several job openings in all three buildings.

Food deliveries

As a safety precaution, corporate food delivery services, such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and Slice, will no longer be allowed to any district building starting Monday, March 18, 2024 . Food deliveries from local establishments that offer delivery service will be allowed but orders must be placed by a staff member and cleared through the building’s main office first. Students will not be allowed to place delivery orders to the schools.

Job openings

At the high school, there are two aide positions, a floating substitute as well as business and English teaching positions open. Open positions at the middle school include three part-time lunch monitors, a floating substitute and a front desk greeter. There are two floating substitutes, one part-time aide, a speech and language pathologist and an assistant principal opening at the elementary school. The middle and high school also are hiring for a shared LPN.

More information on these and other positions is available at  https://libertyk12.tedk12.com/hire/index.aspx.

Those with questions may email questions@libertyk12.org.

Three more Liberty Central School District staff members were honored during the March 12 Board of Education meeting.

Recognized with Excellence in Service Awards were high school teacher assistant Quennel Yard, middle school special education teacher Anne Ramos, and elementary school teacher aide Cristina Servellon

Quennel Yard

Yard’s cheery and caring attitude were what sets him apart..

“Mr. Yard goes out of his way, every day, to help both teachers, staff and students. He cares about everyone and it shows. Mr. Yard relates to the students like no one else can. He goes out of his way, everyday to do this,” the nomination read. “The day is totally different when he isn’t here and not in a good way. Everyday he greets you with a smile and something nice to say. The world and Liberty is a better place with him here!”

Anne Ramos

Ramos was recognized for her work, along with her husband’s, outside of the classroom with Liberty girls soccer and alpine skiing athletes.

“Anne and her husband, Carpio, are a dynamic duo and their dedication to these sports is unmatched,” the nomination read. “They host extra soccer practice for the Liberty girls during the winter to enhance the program without expecting pay. They also have organized a spring travel league for the girls to practice in and have been doing this for years.”

Cristina (Emerita) Servellon

Servellon’s willingness to help out where needed earned her the nomination.

“Cristina is always helpful, kind and willing to contact parents for the health office to translate for us. She is always greeting you with a smile,” the nomination read. “She is a lovely human, with a beautiful heart, and her willingness to help, of all places, in the health office just shows that she’s not just coming to work to do her job, but that she’s simply a good person who cares about our students, and those around her!”

Each month, staff members nominate others they believe are going above and beyond, be it a single act of excellence or kindness or a continuous work ethic.

We congratulate these employees on their awards.

After school bus times have been adjusted to pick up elementary students at 4 p.m. and middle and high school students at 4:10 p.m., with a targeted leave time of 4:15 p.m. Students need a late bus pass to be allowed on the bus. The 6 p.m. bus times remain the same.

For the second year, Liberty Central School District is hosting a summer enrichment program that provides chances for students to learn and grow.

This free program is available for students currently enrolled in kindergarten through 11th grades. Workshops will be held Mondays through Thursdays. Exact times will be shared soon.  Session 1 will be held July 8-18. Session 2 will be held July 22-Aug. 1. Session 3 will be held Aug. 5-15.

The district encourages parents and guardians to sign their children up for this wonderful opportunity.

More information, including times, locations and links to sign up, will be sent to families early next month and will be located on the website as well.

Following the updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations, the state Department of Health has revised its guidance on when to stay home and when to return to normal activities following respiratory illnesses. Guidance for COVID-19 had been different from guidance for other common respiratory illnesses such as influenza and RSV.

The new guidance is now the same for all three illnesses. They recommend people stay home if they have respiratory virus symptoms, including fever, chills, fatigue, cough, runny nose and headache, not explained by another cause, such as allergies.

Normal activities can be resumed when symptoms are getting better and there is no fever without use of medication for at least 24 hours.

The guidance also recommends that when going back to normal activities, individuals should take added precautions over the next five days, including taking additional steps for cleaner air, hygiene, masks, physical distancing and testing when they will be around other people, especially older adults, young children and those with weakened immune systems.

People may still be able to spread the virus that made them sick, even if they are feeling better, so it is important to take extra precautions after resuming normal activities, the DOH guidance says.

If a fever develops or symptoms return or worsen, it is recommended people stay home and away from others again. They should use the same criteria for returning to normal activities as when they first had symptoms and take added precautions over the next five days.

The guidance also says children younger than 2 should never wear a mask. Health care providers should discuss with their patients about how long a child younger than 2 should stay home.

These recommendations are only for non-healthcare settings and applicable for the school environment.