School Budget Process Begins; Path Won't be Easy

RFH 2010, Featured Articles, News

Mon, Feb 01, 2010

"We're looking to the community to partner with us in this very difficult time." HCS Superintendent Dr. Diana Bowers

School Budget Process Begins; Path Won't be Easy

13.5 percent

That's magic number in the Hamilton Central School District; that's how much departments are going to have to cut as they build their budgets for the 2010/2011 school year. Cuts of that magnitude are necessary because that is how much the district's state aid is being cut by Gov. David Paterson.

"Because of this," said HCS Superintendent Dr. Diana Bowers of school district residents, "We need their support. We need their opinions. We need their ideas. We need to work as a team.

"We look to the community to partner with us in this very difficult time."

Bowers didn't say it, but she very well could have added something along the lines of, "And, even more so next year."

In several budget discussions last week, Bowers' message was clear: things don't look good for the budget process and they will get worse next year. Talking to the public in two budget coffees and to the PTO, Bowers didn't sugar-coat the issue: there must be cuts, but added that HCS will preserve the integrity of the curriculum.

That's HCS' approach as it begins to formulate its 2010/2011 spending plan. For HCS, 13.5 percent translates to $538.302.

Bowers said some spending reductions have already taken place or are being considered including

+ two teachers are retiring at the end of the academic year and won't be replaced;

+ two teachers included in the present budget have left the district and won't be replaced;

+ there will be no lacrosse program beginning this spring;

+ junior varsity sports could be dropped;

+ HCS continues to collaborate with Madison, Morrisville-Eaton and Stockbridge Valley school districts to share services in ways to reduce costs;

+ starting Monday, there is no late bus service for students staying after classes (This was driven in part by the declining number of students using the service.);

+ finding out-of-district placements for special needs students that maintain high quality instruction but cost less.

Bowers said this is just the beginning of the budget proicess; nothing will be set in stone until the board approves the budget in April.

One of the moves made by HCS and the other schools in the Madison-Oneida BOCES previously was to create a consortium to provide insurance coverage for faculty and staff. Bowers said this had provided "huge savings" for HCS and the other consortium members; there is only a 4 percent increase in premiums this year.

The coffees and the meeting with the PTO was the warm-up for the serious budget season the faces the school district.

School Business Official Matt Crumb explained at a meeting last week that the process of creating the district spending plan is not an easy task. It took 20 drafts to create the current budget that went to district voters last May.

The schedule for this year's budget process includes:

+ Feb. 23, public meeting to discuss the arts program;

+ March 8, all-day budget workshop;

+ April 7, preliminary budget hearing;

+ May 12, public hearing on the budget;

+ May 18, vote on budget.

Last week, while Bowers hosted one of the budget coffees, WRVO-FM was broadcasting The Capital Press Room, a news program about state government. On that show the governor accused schools of holding hostage millions of dollars in their reserve funds. He said schools should use that money to offset state aid cuts.

However, the state has not raided its own reserve fund to help close the deficit.

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