3-19-10
By LAURA COX
Some 70 percent of the Oneonta City School District’s budget is people.
So with city schools facing a $1.6 million reduction in state aid, that’s where you have to look, said Superintendent of Schools Mike Shea.
As a result, the school board is bracing to eliminate as many as 12 teaching jobs next year, including seven retirees who wouldn’t be replaced, he said in an interview following Business Manager Lisa Weeks’ budget presentation Wednesday, March 10.
The budget reflects cuts included in Governor Paterson’s budget, proposed in January, which created a $2.5 million deficit.
City schools received a windfall – one-time funding of $848,444 through President Obama’s American Restoration & Reinvestment Act.
That left the $1.6 million hole.
Usually by this time, the state Legislature would have responded to the governor with a budget proposal of its own, but – with the April 1 constitutional deadline for passing the state budget – that hasn’t happened yet.
“We’re trying to put together a $34 million budget with no idea on the state revenue,” said Shea.
The other 30 percent – equipment, maintenance, transportation and private-placement tuition – has been reviewed. But only people costs are enough to close the gap, the superintendent said.
Even though the bulk of the savings will be through retirements, there will also be reassignments and layoffs. “The goal has always been to have as few layoffs as possible,” Shea said.
No specific individuals are being identified at this time.
“We have not notified any individuals yet because it is too soon to know exactly,” said Shea.
In addition to the anticipated layoffs, the district is doing district-wide kindergarten registration this year to try to even out each of the kindergarten classes so no one school is overcrowded.
“With decreasing enrollment there is the opportunity to consolidate classrooms, and generally speaking we are looking at increasing class sizes as we consolidate,” Shea said.
The district has cut more than $300,000 from their budget through administrative costs, maintenance costs, field trips, athletics and intramurals and health insurance benefits plans, resulting in a 1.09% decrease in spending.
At current levels the resulting tax levy increase is $1,135,420 or 6.46%, an amount, Shea commented, that is unacceptable and will likely change before a final budget is presented.
The superintendent explained that the district had prepared for a deficit reduction – or gap elimination as the Governor calls it – but not one of this magnitude.
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