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2008-2009 Property Tax Report Card Requirements
(For State Aid Claim Year 2007-08)

Note: The Laws of 2007 amended requirements concerning fund balance limits and fund balance reporting in the Property Tax Report Card, as follows:

Real Property Tax Law Section 1318 was amended to increase the limit placed on school districts’ allowable unreserved, undesignated fund balance from 2.0 percent to 3.0 percent for the 2007-08 school year and from 3.0 percent to 4.0 percent for the 2008-09 school year. 

Education Law Section 1608 was amended to require reporting of three parts of the fund balance if the proposed budget is adopted:  (1) the amount and percent of the unreserved, undesignated fund balance, (2) the reserved fund balance and (3) the appropriated fund balance.  In addition, districts are required to report the actual amount and percent that the unreserved, undesignated fund was for the prior year.

The data collection form on the State Aid portal will contain additional fields to collect this data.

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Subdivision 7 of Section 1608 and Sections 1716(7) and 2601-a(3) of the Education Law require :

Each year, commencing with the proposed budget for the two thousand-two thousand one school year, the trustee or board of trustees shall prepare a property tax report card, pursuant to regulations of the commissioner, and shall make it publicly available by transmitting it to local newspapers of general circulation, appending it to copies of the proposed budget made publicly available as required by law, making it available for distribution at the annual meeting, and otherwise disseminating it as required by the commissioner. Such report card shall include:

1. the amount of total spending and total estimated school tax levy that would result from adoption of the proposed budget and the percentage increase or decrease in total spending and total school tax levy from the school district budget for the preceding school year, and
2. the projected enrollment growth for the school year for which the budget is prepared, and the percentage change in enrollment from the previous year; and
3. the percentage increase in the consumer price index, from January first of the prior school year to January first of the current school year. A copy of the property tax report card prepared for the annual district meeting shall be submitted to the department in the manner prescribed by the department by the end of the business day next following approval of the report card by the trustee or board of trustees, but no later than twenty-four days prior to the statewide uniform voting day. The department shall compile such data for all school districts whose budgets are subject to the vote of the qualified voters and shall make such compilation available electronically at least ten days prior to the statewide uniform voting day.
4. the estimated amount of the appropriated fund balance, the reserved fund balance, and the retained unreserved, unappropriated (undesignated) fund balance and its percentage of the total proposed budget, and the actual amount and percentage of the unappropriated, unreserved fund balance retained in the previous year.

Property Tax Report Card is due by April 26, 2008.

If you have any questions about the 2008-09 Property Tax Report Card form, please contact the Office of Management Services at (518) 474-6541 or by email emscmgts@mail.nysed.gov.


Information on the appropriate use of reserves is available at: Reserve Funds

Data Elements on the Property Tax Report Card

TOTAL SPENDING:

Total spending shall mean total amount appropriated under the school district budget for the school year.

TOTAL SCHOOL TAX LEVY:

The difference of total spending minus other revenues. For the ensuing school year, report the estimated school tax levy. For the previous year, report the actual levy for school purposes authorized by the trustee, board of trustees or board of education.

PUBLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT:

Enrollment of pupils as defined in subparagraph two of paragraph n of subdivision one of section 3602 of the education law. Pursuant to section 2856 of the education law, resident charter school pupils also should be included in the enrollment reported on the property tax report card.

"Public school district enrollment" shall mean the sum of:

1. the number of children on a regular enrollment register of a public school district on the date which enrollment for BEDS purposes is taken;
2. the number of children eligible to receive home instruction in the school district on such date;
3. the number of children for whom equivalent attendance must be computed pursuant to this subdivision on such date;
4. the number of children with handicapping conditions who are residents of such district who are registered on such date to attend programs under the provisions of paragraph c of subdivision two of section forty-four hundred one of this chapter;
5. the number of children eligible to receive educational services on such date but not claimed for aid pursuant to subdivision seven of section thirty-two hundred two of this chapter; and
6. the number of children registered on such date to attend programs (i) pursuant to subdivision two of section three hundred fifty-five of this chapter or (ii) pursuant to an agreement between the city school district of the city of New York and Hunter College pursuant to section sixty-two hundred sixteen of this chapter.

FUND BALANCES:

"Reserved fund balance" shall mean: The part of the fund balance legally retained by the district that may be used only for very specific purposes and not used for tax reduction in the next upcoming year.

"Appropriated fund balance" shall mean: The portion of the unreserved fund balance that is used for tax reduction in the next fiscal year.

"Unreserved, unappropriated (or undesignated) fund balance" shall mean: The portion of the fund balance which is uncommitted and not used to reduce real property taxes in the next fiscal year (limited by §1318 of the Real Property Tax Law.)

03/28/08