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General News: Board of Ed Focuses on Budget Problems
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| Photo by Joseph Oliveto. Fourth grade students perform the song "Stand Up" |
February 06, 2013
By Joseph Oliveto
The Board of Education convened at Willow Avenue Elementary School on Monday night, February 4, to hold their monthly work session and begin discussing the proposed budget.
Before the meeting began, those in attendance were treated to a performance by a group of fourth-grade students, who sang the song “Stand Up” by Sugarland. The students all displayed remarkable talent and continued to impress the audience after their performance, when they each stood before the crowd and explained how they, personally, would try to keep bullying out of their school.
The fourth-grade performance was followed by a presentation from Ravi Shankar, Lead Project Manager for New York Power Authority.
Mr. Shankar described a “power efficiency project” which would result in Cornwall not only becoming a “greener” district, but also saving significant money in the years to come. Although further details will surely be revealed as the project develops, Mr. Shankar discussed potentially replacing the out-of-date boilers in the buildings and installing occupancy sensors in the various rooms throughout the schools.
Mr. Shankar described the project as “great,” saying, “I’ve done a lot of these, and this is just one of those home runs.”
Mr. Shankar’s enthusiasm was echoed by Walter Moran, Director of Facilities at Cornwall Central School District, who praised the project and said that it would increase the comfort quality in the buildings, along with saving the district power and money.
The Board all seemed very pleased with what they heard, and continued on with the work session, which included a resolution to accept Superintendent Timothy Rehm’s retirement at the end of the school year.
Unfortunately, the optimism that followed Mr. Shankar’s presentation soon gave way to disappointment when Harvey Sotland delivered his presentation on the budget.
Mr. Sotland began by telling the Board that “The picture is no better than last year” and that is it probably worse. Before getting into specifics, Mr. Sotland admitted that “The funding for education in New York State is broken,” but urged the Board not to “let the numbers be the sole guiding force on this.”
As of now, the proposed budget includes an increase of $3,467,701, or 5.70%. Accounting for this increase is pension costs, health insurance – which involved a relatively low increase – out-of-district tuition costs, building-level security services, and New Common Core Curriculum Implementation, which is mandated by the state.
To pay for this new budget, the district would have to impose an 8.73% increase on the tax levy, which it will be unable to do, as the maximum allowed increase is 3.66%.
The possibility of receiving state aid to cover the necessary costs was discussed, but it remains unclear whether Cornwall would receive enough aid for the budget.
The option to override the tax cap is available, but it would require a 60% voter approval. If the proposed budget is defeated and does not go to a second vote, the district will have to go to a contingent budget.
Mr. Sotland continued his presentation by highlighting some of the priorities for the budget. First was the Next-Generation Assessments and Computer-Based Testing program, which is slated to begin in the 2014-15 school year. This program, which is another New York State education project, would require the district to have all students take their standardized tests on computers. As such, the district would need to pay for new computers or tablets, as well as increased bandwith, wireless enhancements, and tech support.
The projected up-front costs would be $646,000, with annually recurring costs of $235,000.
Mr. Sotland also outlined potential facility needs, including the need to resurface some of the district’s tracks and tennis courts.
Mr. Sotland concluded by reminding the Board that there are still five more sessions to discuss the proposed budget.
The discussion following the presentation focused primarily on the fact that much of the increases in the budget are due to mandates from the state which districts cannot pay for. Melanie Mulroy-Robinson said, “We’re getting bills, not aid,” and stated that these mandates are “ruining school districts.”
Superintendent Rehm urged the community to get involved, stating that “It’s up to this community to help Albany realize our situation.” He encouraged community members to begin attending the budget meetings and find whatever way they can to present Cornwall’s story to the state.
As of now, no specific cuts were mentioned, although it was admitted that they may be necessary.
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