Salaries was the topic of discussion at the South Colonie School District’s budget meeting on Tuesday, March 8 at Saddlewood Elementary School, where Assistant Superintendent for Instruction Tim Backus had to remind the crowd all the information was preliminary.
There was some conflict over the number presented when Backus said benefits for teachers will be raised by $1,481,755, along with raises in teacher salaries by $494,455 for kindergarten through sixth grade and $421,298 for seventh through twelfth grade. Some parents could justify those numbers are there is a possibility of twelve teachers being laid off.
There is a reduction of positions but they do not always result in layoffs, said Backus, who explained that some teachers may retire or head to another district. `There’s a lot of turn over a lots of things happening during that time period. We try to wait to start talking to people because we do have to deliver bad news to people, but we still will be able to watch what happens.`
Monitors will also be seeing a reduction in 8 full time positions in the coming school year, which Backus said is mainly due to the high amount of turnover that occurs in the position. He added that as more students come into the school, they add additional monitors to accommodate them.
A member of the audience suggested the district looked into freezing salaries or reduce raises after hearing about the million dollar increase to teacher’s salaries, due to the current economic climate. Backus said the option might be explored.
`I think from the standpoint, too, moving forward through these economic times as they continue, we might be looking at that,` he said.
There were also some areas of the budget where there were increases with items such as musical equipment and travel budgets, but while there might be a $10,000 increases in one area, there is another portion of the budget where there was a $10,000 reduction.
Questions arose also over the area of the budget that detailed contributions for foster care students, as some parents did not understand why the district had to pay for foster care children who leave for another school district.
Backus explained that when a foster child starts their education in the South Colonie Central School District and the student chooses to go to a different district then it is financially responsible for that student. Superintendent Jon Buhner said the situation isn’t exactly what it seems, as the district gets reimbursed by other districts.
`What you need to know is that’s a wash,` he said. `So a kid from somewhere else, three towns over, gets removed from their home, placed here, he will be educated here and we will back bill that kid. So it happens in both directions so we have to plan for that.`
The district also makes payments to charter schools for students who live in the area, something every school in the state is required to do. Backus said that while there are 20 kids that live in the district this year, that number will be cut in half for the 2011-2012 school year.
There has been an effort by the district to keep some of these students in the district, Backus said, and said there needs to be a better one made.
`My feeling is that we need to compete,` he said. `We need to show everyone that we’re not just as good, but better. We need to work with the families to get those kids back.`
Assistant Superintendent for Management Services Beverly Miller pointed out that things such as pension contributions, unemployment insurance and other unfunded mandates are items that are required by the state, which the district has no control over.
`Pensions and other mandates make up close to 20 percent of the budget,` she said. `Everything from buying green cleaning products to how to report on special education to lighted schools bus signs to the color of the bus. All of those are mandates.“
