by Alex Brooks
The Hoosick Falls School District has presented a first draft of its budget for next year. The $21,688,253 budget shows total spending and total revenues both increasing by $704,171, which is 3.4%. The budget shows an increase in State Aid for operating expenses of $475,546, from $8,173,179 to $8,648,725, which is an increase of 5.8%.
It shows a tax levy increase of 4.55%, but Board President Greg Laurin assured the public that this number will be significantly lower by the time the budget is finalized.
[private]The tax cap on tax levy increases, which is generally thought to be 2%, is actually not that simple. There is a multi-step formula for determining each district’s tax cap which is significantly increased this year because when the State assessment for the teachers retirement fund goes up by more than 2%, that cost can be passed on to local taxpayers. This year it is up by about 37%, from 11.84% of payroll to 16.25% of payroll.
The District’s actual tax cap is 4.7%, but, as noted above, neither the administration nor the Board intend to let the tax levy rise by that much.
The biggest cost driver this year is employee benefits. Payments to State retirement funds will increase by about $337,000 and health insurance, while its growth is slowing, is still up by about $259,000. But fortunately no increases are forecast for electricity and fuel oil, and the utilities budget is actually lower for next year.
Lawsuit On State Aid Equity
Superintendent Ken Facin said he and some administrators and School Board members went to an event at Columbia High School attended by representatives from 49 School Districts to hear expert analysis of the formulas used to distribute school aid. He cited a study done by a Rutgers professor which found that New York is 47th out of the 50 states in equitable distribution of school aid. Facin recalled the lawsuit brought by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity on behalf of underfunded inner-city schools some years back, which made a similar point. That lawsuit was settled with promises to bring equitable funding to everyone by putting more money into school aid. But the equity was never fully delivered, as a series of short-tenured governors and a State fiscal crisis derailed the plans. Facin said he believes the disparity has grown greater and the aid formulas remain skewed toward wealthier districts. He believes high poverty, rural districts are losing out the most. He said he’s not asking for more money overall, just a more equitable distribution. “We just want our fair share,” he said. To this end, he has been talking with other rural schools, and working towards putting together a lawsuit on behalf of rural school funding. “I think the place to meet the Governor is in court,” said Facin. He said a rural schools lawsuit is in the works. “Within a few months you’re going to see some action – because enough is enough.”
Staffing and Program Cuts
In order to bring this year’s budget under control, the administration felt they had to eliminate quite a few positions.
The District will eliminate the GED program. Superintendent Ken Facin said the GED program has been very productive – 50 successful GED students over the last six years. Numbers are down at present; there are only a few students still in the program, and the GED test will get a lot more rigorous in 2014. So the plan is to get as many of the students ready to take the test as possible this year and then discontinue the program next year. This will save $53,550.
The District will reconfigure 7-12 Special Education Programs which will eliminate two special education teacher positions and will also bring one special education student back to the District instead of being placed in a school outside the District. This will save the District $184,391. Facin said, “We are aiming to get our special education students to a higher level of achievement, and we’re going to do it with two less teachers.”
The District will move to a “team” approach to the custodial work which will require fewer custodial workers to keep the campus in top condition. Facin said the District has been investing in labor saving machinery such as wider-cut mowers and floor cleaning machines that look like mini-Zambonis. Because of these efficiencies, the District will not be replacing two custodial workers who will be retiring at the end of this year; this will bring a savings of $114,692. Facin said, “We pride ourselves on having a clean, well maintained facility,” and added emphatically, “This is not going to change.”
In addition, a teaching assistant, an elementary teacher and a high school English teacher who are retiring at the end of this year will not be replaced. This will bring a savings of $243,237. Also, a speech teacher who is retiring will be replaced with a less senior teacher, which will bring the District a savings of $22,372 from what school administrators call “breakage.” This refers to savings that come from replacing a higher salaried senior teacher with a younger teacher who is lower on the salary schedule.
The District also plans to cut the 7-12 Assistant Principal position to half time which will cut expense by $51,958. Facin said he felt he could not make this level of cuts to the teaching staff without making some cuts to administration.
Finally, the District plans to reduce budgets for classroom supplies and materials by $14,500.
This makes a total of $684,700 in staff and program cuts, which is equal to a reduction of about 7.7% on the tax levy.
HFTA Comments
English Teacher Judith Petrino spoke on behalf of the Hoosick Falls Teachers Association. She was quite emotional when speaking of the planned cuts, speaking especially of the special education teachers and the deep bonds they develop with their students. “I’m overcome with emotion when I think about what these cuts are going to mean to some of these students.” She said the HFTA is talking about ways to forestall teacher layoffs. “We’re hoping we may be able to offer some solutions.”
Retirements
The Board accepted resignations for retirement purposes, with deep regret, from Elementary School Teacher Nancy Crucetti, High School English Teacher Nora Senecal, Teaching Assistant Mary Jane Baker, Speech Teacher Wendy Davidson, Executive Secretary Lorraine Brownell and Custodial Worker Terry Hatch.
Upcoming Meetings
The Board will hold a Budget Workshop on March 7 at 6 pm in the high school library. The regular March Board meeting will be on March 21 at 7 pm in the high school library.[/private]