School officials across the state are waiting to hear the outcome of Gov. David Paterson’s proposed state aid cuts, which he announced in mid-November as part of an effort to relieve the state’s looming deficit.
In the face of that news, area school officials are preparing for the financially difficult times that lay ahead. Mohonasen Central School District, Niskayuna Central School District and Schalmont Central School district are working to put plans in place to minimize the impact of state belt-tightening.
As you are aware, we are facing a very difficult financial picture at the national and state level. Local school districts are not immune from what happens on Wall Street or in Washington since schools are largely dependent upon aid from state and federal sources. Wall Street generates the single largest tax revenue for New York state, said Kevin Baughman, superintendent of the Niskayuna Central School District, in a written statement.
District superintendents, board of education members, faculty and staff had already begun preparing for the tough economic times ahead, but Paterson’s Nov. 12 announcement that cuts could come within the school year, made officials take their plans to the next level.
While the three school districts are using many of the same cost-saving tactics, they are also coming up with their own strategies. All three agree, however, that they will do everything in their power to maintain the quality of education that they have always provided.
`The board has thought about priorities in general — this is kind of more of an exercise of thinking about what’s important to the board and community,` said Valerie Kelsey, superintendent of Schalmont Central School District.
Schalmont Central School District already participates in a countywide purchasing consortium for savings on bus parts, cafeteria food and supplies, paper, and trash removal. The district has implemented an energy savings program in all five buildings, and has reviewed bus routes for efficiency, resulting in a cut of more than 360 miles for the 2008-2009 school year, among other cost-saving measures.
`Any position that becomes vacant, we’re critically reviewing to see if it needs to be filled. Also, we do have a current budget freeze, and what that means is before we buy anything we evaluate it and see [if] we really need it,` said Kelsey.
The school district also has a budget advisory committee with meetings that are open to the public. Those meetings will start in January.
`I think the important thing is that we certainly understand that we are in a financial crisis, but our Board of Education will work very hard at looking at our programs to make sure we have minimal impact on our students,` said Kelsey.
Like Schalmont, Niskayuna Central School District is also using an energy savings program and implementing a hiring freeze (unless the position is critical). They are also following a recycling program to reduce costs and bring in revenue.
`Right now there are things we’re trying to do now that aren’t cutting programs and impacting the kids,` said Baughman.
According to Baughman, some small changes the district has made that result in substantial savings include keeping the heat for all buildings in the district at 67 degrees during the week and 50 degrees on weekends and holidays.
`We’re also doing a mandatory ‘turn off lights’ as soon as you’re out of a room,` said Baughman. `We’re also making sure that all computers and electronic devices are off, especially on weekends and holidays.`
They have also suspended all conferences for teachers for the time being, unless they were previously approved.
`Effective immediately, each administrator/supervisor will scrutinize every 2008-09 budget code within responsibility and target a budget reduction wherever possible. Only expenditures absolutely essential for continuation of current programs should be retained,` said Baughman in a written statement.
In Mohonasen Central School District, officials have an energy savings program in place and have reduced field trips, eyed more efficient transportation routes, and haven’t rehired positions that have become vacant, unless they were critical.
`We’re doing the same budget process we always have,` said Mohonasen Central School District Superintendent Kathleen Spring.
`I wouldn’t call it extremely different than any other year because we’ve always shaved things pretty closely. We try to balance what we think the community can afford, so if state aid does decline — we’re anticipating it will — then we’ll have to monitor the budget a little more closely than we have in the past,` said Spring.
Officials from all three school districts said they realize that if the cuts aren’t made in the middle of the year, they might still be made next year, and are therefore not only planning for the immediate future, but they are also planning ahead.
`In terms of preparing for next year — because we’re not 100 percent certain that there will be a mid-year reduction as this fiscal year for the state comes closer to an end — the legislature is equally likely to take this huge reduction into next year. We anticipate an extremely difficult year next year, we’re anticipating a considerably lower [amount] of state aid,` said Baughman.
`We understand the economic situation that we’re all facing, and schools, just like other agencies, need to do whatever we can to help out both our state and our national situation, and we have to all become more responsible to help address it and face these very difficult decisions,` said Baughman.
He noted, however, that people have to realize that when things are reduced there will be a commensurate reduction to school programs.
`All of our programs will be touched, and you can’t just simply say, ‘Well, tighten your belt but keep producing the same product.’ The product will be different. The product will be different for everyone,` said Baughman.
For information, visit the school district Web sites at: www.niskayunaschools.org, www.schalmont.org, and www.mohonasen.org.
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