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General News: Staff Positions Could Be Cut in Budget
March 30, 2011
By Charlie B. Scirbona
The Cornwall Board of Education ended its three-and-a-half hour meeting Monday thinking about the pros and cons of dropping the tax levy to 4.96 percent by eliminating or modifying at least 18 staff positions, a move that would cut just over $1.2 million from the budget.
The cuts that were discussed included eliminating the entire seventh grade foreign language program, as well cutting one section from kindergarten, fifth and sixth grades. The board also talked about eliminating an undisclosed amount of assistant coaches, reducing a full time physical education teacher position to a teaching assistant position and cutting some parts of modified sports.
Discussion of a Reasonable Tax Levy
The board’s initial discussion focused on what a reasonable tax levy increase might be. Board President Larry Berger said that the majority of people he had spoken with in the district said they would rather dig deeper than see any of the district’s programs cut. He added that if too much was cut from the budget, property values in the district could be affected.
The board had also been waiting to find out if any money would be restored in the state budget. District Superintendent Timothy Rehm said at the meeting that while $280 million had been restored, approximately 70 percent would be allocated to high needs districts. Rehm added that while he hoped Cornwall would be included in that funding restoration, the official numbers wouldn’t be available until Wednesday.
“I’m not confident this will make a change to the district’s budget,” said Rehm.
When asked by Berger what he thought the district might get back, he could only give a conservative guess of about $200,000, which would only be 3.5 percent of the proposed 5.59 million budget. However the state budget won’t cut aid for the districts’ summer special education programs, which keep an extra $100,000 in play.
The comments from the crowd at the end of the meeting brought a mix of feelings on what should be saved and what should be cut.
Teachers, Coach Speak in Favor of Programs
Elizabeth Dinollo, a Spanish teacher at the high school, asked the board to reconsider the possibility of cutting the seventh grade foreign language classes. Dinollo said that by cutting these classes it would leave two options: either cram two years of learning into one during eighth grade or keep the beginners section at two years and have the regents move up to 11th grade, which would add a fifth regents test to students in that grade.
Glen McGinnis spoke up to advocate for the district’s sports program, saying that cutting modified sports would simply overburden the JV sports program.
Employees Asked to Consider a Pay Freeze
However, Stephen Vondrak had another idea. Vondrak pleaded to both board and the crowd, filled mainly by teachers and school employees, to honestly consider taking a pay freeze. This budget allocates over $900,000 for contractual pay increases. Rehm has confirmed that at least two of the district’s unions were considering the idea.
“I just want the board and the unions to have a candid discussion and consider for one year that you’ll save jobs, save programs and make the same you did last year,” said Vondrak.
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