Eastchester superintendent: bus-mileage vote could spare dozens of layoffs as budget revote looms

Superintendent Dr. Bonoeva outlined the district's plan for the June 16 revote and said trustees must decide whether to amend a previously adopted transportation proposition that could reduce bus mileage to save millions and limit staff layoffs.

Dr. Bonoeva said the ballot will contain two separate questions: whether voters approve a 2.35% tax-levy increase for next year's budget and whether the district should adopt New York State's mileage guidelines for student transportation. "Do not connect [the transportation proposition] with the 2.35% tax levy increase," she said, adding that the 2.35% levy is what keeps the district from falling to a contingency budget.

The superintendent described three planning scenarios. The revote's 2.35% levy represents a reduction from an earlier 6.31% proposal; the district must find approximately $4,122,766 in savings. In the most conservative scenario the district could avoid additional layoffs; in the worst-case contingency scenario Dr. Bonoeva said reductions could be far deeper. She summarized possible personnel impacts: "scenario one" reductions were described around 29.9 FTE eliminated under a particular combination of decisions, while the district earlier communicated possible reductions up to about 32.9 FTE and in one passage referenced a full-elimination figure cited as 58.3 FTE in a worst case.

On transportation, Dr. Bonoeva said Eastchester currently offers more generous mileage than state guidelines (for example, early elementary routes reported as 0.25 miles and secondary routing described at longer distances) and that adopting the state's recommended mileage (2 miles for K'8, 3 miles for grades 9'12) would yield significant savings. She presented intermediate options to reduce hardship: moving high school eligibility to 2 miles and elementary to 1.5 miles would save slightly less than $2 million; a more modest mix (1.5 miles HS, 1.0 mile elementary) would also approach $2 million in savings while preserving more family access.

Trustee Kowski reported the district has received "a total of 228 communications" from the community in the past week, including detailed counts of support or questions about teachers, the budget, the revote and the bus proposal. Dr. Bonoeva said staff will publish updated frequently asked questions online and continue outreach (a community Q&A is scheduled for June 4; a budget hearing is June 9).

The superintendent warned of consequences if the 2.35% levy fails: a contingency (0% increase) budget would freeze assets and require the district to "maximize how we fill our buses," resulting in longer routes and potentially modest savings but substantial operational changes. She also said contingency rules would force the district to charge full statemandated fees for facility rentals, a shift that could price out community groups and youth programs; district modeling estimated seasonal rental charges for an average organization could be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

On state aid, Dr. Bonoeva credited Sen. Shelley Mayer and Assemblywoman Amy Paulin for work that moved the district from a 1% to a 2% foundation-aid designation, which she said increases the district's aid by roughly $112,000 (about $224,000 next year). She cautioned that expense-based state aid is reimbursed after spending and can fluctuate; an asterisk on the budget mailer reflects that variability.

During trustees' questions, Dr. Bonoeva clarified that the state would not directly impose local mileage changes but could require more efficient use of buses in a contingency scenario ("they will ask us how do you fill the remainder of those 40 seats"). On procurement, she said the district contracts for transportation (it does not own its own fleet) and that contracts commonly run four to five years.

Dr. Bonoeva closed by urging civility during sensitive employment discussions and reminding the community that if trustees choose to amend the previously adopted proposition that change could be made at tonight's meeting, subject to legal and timeline constraints. The board plans public outreach before the June 16 revote.