The Bethlehem Central School District says it needs to make some cuts in order to make its budget viable.
The district’s board of education listened to Superintendent Michael Tebbano’s three-tiered reduction plan at its Wednesday, Feb. 25, meeting.
The suburban school district is currently facing a loss of millions of dollars in state aid under Gov. David Paterson’s proposed budget, even in light of an estimated $1 million from the federal government’s stimulus package. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-Brooklyn, released a report Wednesday, Feb. 25, that shows Bethlehem will be receiving just over $1 million in federal funds.
Tebbano and Board of Education President James Lytle have warned about tough decisions facing the school as a result of state cuts in education. Tebbano’s reduction plan will outline proposals to reduce Bethlehem’s expenditures and look at possible new revenue sources.
In Tebbano’s plan, the district can cut nearly $1.46 million in the first tier, an additional $990,000 in the second tier and then an additional $2.15 million in the third. The tiers, totaling more than $4.5 million in cuts, are just the starting point for the district’s budget process, according to Tebbano, as the board of education will be going over the budget department-by-department over the next several weeks.
`We have no idea what direction the state will eventually go,` Tebbano said at the meeting. `We are planning for the worst case scenario and that’s why these numbers are in front of you and how it impacts the budget.
`We don’t know for sure on what’s happening on the federal and state level, some people think that now we have special stimulus money coming that our problems are solved,` Tebbano said of the funds. `They are not solved, they’re even worse because we are not qualifying for the Title 1 money.`
He said the $1 million is slated for special education needs and that other funds are necessary to help balance his district’s budget.
`The second pool of money is the stabilization money and if that goes through, then hopefully that will bridge the [budget] gap,` he said.
The district’s Chief Financial Officer Judi Kehoe said the school must not only reduce expenditures, but also increase its revenues in order to create a balanced budget that would rely on a large tax levy increase. If the currently project budget of roughly $89 million dollars was reliant on the levy, she said, there would have to be a 10 percent increase in the current tax levy.
Tebbano said that would not be acceptable and that community wouldn’t support it.
`If we do nothing at all, if we just try to float an $89 million budget, the community will not necessarily be happy about that, especially if we raise the property tax levy,` Tebbano said at his presentation. `Even if we get some kind of stimulus money or stabilization money from the state, it’s still going to place us in a category where the tax levy is going to be very high.`
The tier one reductions include eliminating the elementary dean and some advisory positions; eliminating some after school supervision and evening chaperones in the middle school; some athletics department cuts such as no evening games and removing $25,000 from its budget; the elimination of an instrumental music teacher in the high school; eliminating non-public services for BOCES; the elimination of sabbaticals; and the elimination of a subject supervisor.
The second tier would include a reduction in special-subjects staff and the Jump Start program in the elementary school; the elimination of supervisor at the front office in the middle school and a reduction of $41,000 in the modified sports budget; the elimination of a math lab position in the middle school; an additional $50,000 reduction in the athletics department in the high school as well as some elimination of electives; the elimination of five special education aide positions; cutbacks in sporting transportation and supplies; and not sending one student to Tech Valley High School.
The third tier, and `deepest cuts,` as Tebbano said, could include the elimination of a teaching position and a clerical assistant in each elementary building, and of a homework club; the losses of the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday middle school late bus; a middle school house leader; the GED program in the high school and an additional $75,000 cut in the athletics department; the elimination of some monitoring and supervising staff in the high school; the reduction of BOCES safety specialist position by one day; cutting the technology replacement program; the elimination of a district secretary; the non-replacement of two Tech Valley High School students; and a $50,000 cut in supplies.
A full list of the school’s proposed cuts can be found on the district’s Web site, www.bcsd.k12.ny.us.
Lytle said he will continue working closely with the community on the budget but warned possible government funding will not prevent every possible cut the district must consider.
`We’re not anywhere near out of the woods,` he said.
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