Daily Gazette, March 29, 2005 School computer equipment in budget BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com. Scotia-Glenville school officials say they have found a way to add $160,000 in new computers, maintenance funds and a second section of Young Scholars without raising the tax increase. The estimated increase now is 8.37 percent, down from 8.4 percent last week. The change was made after Superintendent Michael Marcelle met with Glenville officials to discuss the estimated assessment roll and determined that because of changes, last week’s 8.4 percent estimate was too high. It should have been about 7.61 percent, he discovered. That gave school officials enough room to add the $160,000 without going above the previously announced increase. Board members agreed to the new plan, saying that it would be better for the district’s technology program than last week’s proposal to approve a one-shot expenditure of nearly $200,000. That would have replaced more computers, but would not have put the district on a regular replacement plan. On Monday, the board agreed to put the smaller amount in the budget with the tentative plan of spending the same amount of money every year instead of just once. That would allow them to re-place every computer every six or seven years. The decision was met with reluctant acceptance from district technology leader David Versocki, who had initially asked the district to implement a five-year replacement cycle. That would have cost about $225,000 annually, he said. "With this, we can replace some equipment, but no new initiatives like the expansion of elementary (computer) lab activities," he said. "Yeah, it’d be great if the full amount were available to us. But as I said in my presentation, we’ve made the tech work." The computers are eight to nine years old, Versocki said, and can probably be kept running for another year. "But next year we’ll be right back here again," he said. "Does it set us back instructionally? Well, it doesn’t put us ahead, but it doesn’t close the store." The decision does not set aside funds for musical instruments and athletic equipment, which were in the $295,000 one-shot expenditure proposal. Marcelle said he would try to find some money in the budget for those expenses. "I don’t want them forgotten," he said.