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General News: Board of Education Works on Budget
April 11, 2013
By Joseph Oliveto
4/9/13
With one week left to create a proposed budget that everyone can agree on, the focus of the Board of Education’s meeting on Monday night, April 8, was the continued discussion of this issue.
“The conversation this year. . . has been different than any other year,” Superintendent Timothy Rehm said, referencing the fact that the Board has struggled to create a budget that would not greatly exceed the tax cap while also preserving the district’s educational programs.
“We’re really looking towards the community,” Rehm said, adding that the Board is in “a little better place” than it has been in the past several weeks.
After receiving final word on the amount of state aid that the district is to receive, as well as accounting for funds that the district will be able to save due to various other factors, a proposed budget with a tax levy of 5.24% -- lower than it was expected to be in previous weeks – has been generated.
If the district switches the middle school start time and the high school start time, eliminating the “Period 0” in the high school that exists for PM BOCES students who need extra time to make up work, the proposed budget could have a tax levy of only 4.95%.
The Board members seemed to generally agree that this measure should be taken, while also admitting that it will meet some opposition by students and parents.
The cap is 3.72%, and 60% of voters need to approve a budget that exceeds the cap.
As of now, the savings in these potential proposed budgets would not have any further impact on academic programs or staffing.
The Board is considering using money from the fund balance to cover some of the expenses needed to meet the ideal budget.
When asked for comment, audience members belonging to the School Board Advisory Committee expressed their willingness to go “door-to-door” informing citizens of the financial burden they might expect from a proposed budget that exceeds the tax cap, while also letting them know of the programs that would be eliminated if the budget was not passed.
Assemblyman James Skoufis was in attendance, and was eager to let the community know that his “door is always open” to anyone concerned about these issues.
The Board thanked Mr. Skoufis for his help, citing him as one of the few political figures who actually took the initiative to call the district asking if he could help in any way.
Audience members and the Board also generally agreed that in the future, we need to hold our governor responsible, as much of the problems facing the district are the result of unfunded mandates from Albany that put a financial burden on districts that cannot afford it.
When it came time to discuss possible cuts that need to be prioritized should an ideal proposed budget not be passed, few on the Board were happy to suggest that anything should go. The district may be in danger of losing, for example, Modified sports programs, the fourth grade music program, a high school business teacher, Kindergarten Teaching Assistants, among other potential cuts.
A Social Studies teacher is retiring, and the district may not be able to hire a replacement.
The Board knows that it is important that citizens know what is at stake when they vote on the budget.
Mr. Rehm reminded everyone that “Anything we’ve cut in the last six or seven years has not been restored.”
There was some good news, though. Despite rumors, Melanie Mulroy-Robinson confirmed that Willow Avenue School will not be closing.
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