by Alex Brooks
The Hoosick Falls School Board meeting March 18 was mostly focused on the budget for 2010-11, which needs to be completed and adopted in a month.
The latest budget offered by the Administration has no increase in the local tax levy, despite an anticipated drop in State aid of $485,000 and the usual cost increases.
To accomplish this, the plan is to lay off a Reading teacher and a Home and Careers teacher, and to lay off ten Teaching Assistants. This is in addition to the reduction in staff from not replacing 3 teachers who retired, and two who resigned.
The first public comment period was filled with comments asking the Board to reconsider these layoffs. Many spoke eloquently about the value of these teaching assistants to the personal and intellectual development of the students.
District Superintendent Ken Facin said, “I understand the value of these teachers. It’s painful to see them go.” But he noted that in recent years the number of teaching staff has grown while the number of students has stayed the same. When 83% of the operating budget goes to personnel expenses, it’s hard to find significant savings without cutting personnel.
Facin said, “There is no stimulus money offsetting our cuts this year. We have to balance what we offer our kids and what we ask from our taxpayers. It’s a difficult balance.”
Board Chairman David Sutton said, “The taxpayers cannot afford anything additional right now.”
Facin said the budget has been built, as usual, on the Governor’s proposed budget. He noted that in the past money has always been added by the time the final state budget was adopted but “we don’t think that’s going to happen this year. It could even go the other way, and we might have to make additional cuts.”
Later in the meeting, Business Manager Pam Hatfield discussed some of the details of the budget. She noted that the second biggest problem with this year’s budget, after the state aid cuts, is the increase in retirement contributions. The state retirement funds have presumably lost money in the past year and are increasing the contribution rate. This will cost the District $272,000 additional in the upcoming year.
She also mentioned some of the other ways the budget has been trimmed – a contract with Rensselaer County for a Student Assistance Counselor was canceled, saving $37,000, Curriculum Development was cut by $10,000, the budget for legal counsel fees was cut by $10,000 and the budget for the Teacher Mentoring program was cut by $28,700. Also, the District was able to find grant funding for the summer school, and for seven teaching assistant positions, relieving the local budget of these burdens.
Hatfield had good news about the budget in two areas. The biggest was that she had been through a lot of grilling from lenders interested in funding the District’s long-term debt from the Capital Project, who wanted to know about every detail of the District’s finances. The result was that the District’s bond rating went from A to A+, and the 7.5 million worth of bonds are now locked in for 15 years at a rate of 3.1% interest. Hatfield said she was thrilled when she heard that news.
The other piece of good news presented by Hatfield was that the District was able to budget $107,000 less in the upcoming year for utilities because of savings from better insulation in the roof and from the new windows installed as part of the capital project.
The final point she made was that although the District’s tax levy will not go up at all, tax rates may still go up or down based on things completely outside the control of the School District. The equalization rate will affect tax rates, as will any changes in assessments either for one’s property in particular or for the Town as a whole. In addition, changes to the STAR program will not change your tax rate but may affect how much of it you pay.
Distance Learning
Superintendent Facin announced that a grant for distance learning equipment, submitted in conjunction with neighboring districts, has been funded. This will give the school new learning opportunities at no cost to the District. At the later public comment session one of the teachers asked somewhat skeptically how the distance learning has worked. Facin said the students take to it very well. He said as a teacher for 14 years, he was skeptical of it also, but he has been impressed. He said it allows the District to offer learning opportunities that would otherwise be impossible. He concluded, “It’s about offering a rich and diverse curriculum in a small rural school with budget limitations.”
Baseball Trip
The Board approved a trip to Cooperstown for the varsity baseball team for Friday, April 16. On Friday they will play an exhibition game at Doubleday Field, and on Saturday they play in a tournament in Fort Plain. Sixteen players take part. Transportation is provided by parents and coaches, and the trip is funded by team fund raising and parent contributions.