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General News: School Board Agrees on Budget Outline
April 05, 2011
By Charlie B. Scirbona
With a week to go before the Cornwall Board of Education has to adopt its 2011-2012 budget, the board members edged closer to a final figure for the tax levy increase.
The board members managed to work the numbers to a 5.38 percent increase, more than last week’s considered 4.96 percent. However the cuts involved in getting the tax levy to this level would leave the high school’s business and arts teaching positions, as well as the seventh grade foreign language classes intact.
The new numbers still allow for a third of the modified sports budget to be cut. This was something supported by members of the School Budget Advisory Committee, who were also at Monday’s meeting.
“I have two children in modified sports, I would rather see the modified program go than a fulltime teacher” said committee member Stephen Vondrak, “If the modified program is the price to keep the broad program our district has, it’s what I want.”
The board members did find a new cut in the form of reducing substitute teachers pay by $10, which would save the district $40,000 overall. Likewise, the board heard specifics about the various assistant coaching positions on the cutting block. Boys and girls soccer, basketball, cross country, baseball, indoor track and the ski teams would all lose an assistant coach through these cuts.
Board president Larry Berger drew applause from the crowd of over 30 people when he said he didn’t want to go lower than a 5.38 tax levy.
“I just don’t feel comfortable decimating our programs any further,” said Berger.
Berger also read a correspondence from the Cornwall Teachers Association that said the union refused to open negotiations for concession, something that has been asked about by both members of the public and board of education since the budget process began.
Michael Caola, a member of the School Budget Advisor Committee, was upset by the teachers union’s decision.
“I really wonder if they consider what this shows the public,” said Caola “I doesn’t show much on their part to cooperate.”
By the end of the nearly three-hour meeting, board vice president Melanie Mulroy-Robinson and board member Charles Frankel, who had initially pushed to bring the tax levy under 5 percent, were OK with the 5.8 percent figure.
Board was able to get to the 5.38 tax levy in part because the state budget passed on time, and the final numbers on what the district would get from the state were in. District Superintendant of Schools Timothy Rehm said that Cornwall would get around $330,000 from the state, as well as a restoration of aid to the summer special education program, which is $100,000. This brought the initial tax levy of 8.57 percent down to 7.33 percent.
Even if the board leaves the tax levy at 5.348 percent, programs like the fourth-grade band may end up being cut. Abby Mayer, a Cornwall home owner since 1959, came to the meeting to speak out against that kind of cut. Mayer, who is a well-known musician in town, said that while being taught how to play an instrument in high school had been influential to his life, but he wished he had the chance to start earlier like the students in Cornwall do.
“If you cut this program, this is what it will sound like,” Mayer said and then pulled a horn from a bag he was carrying and began to play TAPS.
Comments:
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It breaks my heart to think that my kids won't have the benefit of what may be cut. My younger son loves music, just to name one issue. Even at a 10% increase, my kids are worth every penny! We are investing in their futures. I would hate to think that our public school system would lack so much that we would consider private school in order to give them these benefits.
posted by Rachael Skigen on 04/06/11 at 10:20 AM
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Are we supposed to feel good that it will not be an 8.57 percent increase now? How long will it take for Cornwall to realize that like Wisconsin we can no longer afford our school system the way the administration wants to run it? It has been noted before that 75 percent of the school budget is tied to labor costs.and the school teachers union refuses to open negotiations for concession? Well, just jump on the band wagon with the rest of the unions in the country and continue driving this country into the ground. I hope that the rest of the senior citizens in town are paying attention because the future is sure looking bleak for us forgotten citizens on a fixed income. The Village has levied more tax on our water usage. Our beloved library has expanded its services and wants an 8.1 percent tax increase.It A 5.348 tax increase is unacceptable.
posted by William Powell on 04/06/11 at 11:35 PM
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