Buildings & Grounds Budget Increase Minimal

With the school district currently wrestling with significant cost increases in several areas of the draft budget, buildings and grounds is showing a minimal increase for the 2013-14 school year.

In a presentation at the school district’s recent budget work session, James Bosse, director of buildings and grounds, reported that his draft budget for the coming school year would increase 0.97 percent, or $72,428.

“Without salaries, we are projecting a year-over-year increase of zero percent,” he said.

A large portion of the buildings and grounds budget is utility costs. For the 2013-14 school year, Bosse estimates that gas and oil costs will total $800,000 while the school district’s electric bill will be slightly more than $900,000. Diesel and gas costs will be about $50,000.

While utility costs account for nearly 25 percent of the department’s budget, it would be more if the school district were heating its buildings with oil as opposed to natural gas. Bosse noted heating with oil would have cost the district $1.573 million next school year. Using gas for heating will save the district $778,000.

In addition, he said buildings and grounds continues to complete as many repair projects using in-house custodial staff, which provides a cost savings to the school district.

One example of a project completed by the school district’s custodial staff was a drain that was installed beneath the varsity baseball field to help alleviate a ponding issue. If done by an outside contractor, the job would have cost about $15,000. Instead, it was done in-house for a few thousand dollars, Bosse said.

He also noted that the school district’s square foot per cleaner costs is well above the average recommended by the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA). On average, West Islip cleans 23,000 square feet per cleaner, while the APPA recommends 17,000 square feet per cleaner.

Editor’s note: the next budget work session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, 7:30 p.m. at Beach Street Middle School’s cafeteria.

Related 2013-14 school budget stories:

• BOE Watching Albany While Contemplating Cuts
• Poll: Higher Taxes or More Tough Decisions at West Islip Schools?
• Elementary Enrollment Projections Continue to Drop
• School District Facing $2 Million Budget Gap