Proposed $42.9M budget holds 2.5 percent tax levy increase
Mohonasen Superintendent Kathleen Spring proposed cutting 25.7 teaching positions, but the teacher’s union approved a salary freeze, adding around $450,000 to save six positions.
Mohonasen Central School District’s proposed 2011-12 budget totals $42.9 million and includes a budget increase around $183,000 or 0.43 percent.
The Mohonasen Teachers Association on Tuesday, April 12, approved a salary freeze with 75 percent of its members voting in support, said MTA President Maria Pacheco. Spring presented on Monday, April 11, that 35.2 full-time equivalent positions were slated for elimination, but the teachers wage freeze will go towards saving 6 to possibly 7 instructional positions. Proposed teaching cuts had totaled 25.7 FTE positions. If the three remaining unions took a salary freeze, an additional two instructional positions could be saved, said Spring.
Even though this is not the best case scenario we’ve ever been in, I think that we have worked together to do what we could to put as many positions back in place as possible, said Spring. `All along we have talked about keeping structures in place, so that hopefully a year from now when the people at the state realize they have made some mistakes hopefully things will change back and will be able to add back onto that foundation.`
After the budget presentation, Pacheco spoke during privilege of the floor and rallied for the salary freeze as union members stood during her speech.
`As a teacher and parent, I know first-hand the value of a quality public education. Mohonasen provides students with a first-rate education,` said Pacheco. `The time has come for we, the Mohonasen community, to stand together we must all work together for a common good. I ask the Mohonasen community to join us in demonstrating to the governor and legislature that we here at Mohonasen value education.`
Pacheco said the governor needs to be pressured to provide adequate funding for education, and she didn’t want the cuts to education deterring the progress within the district. Parents and teachers met with state legislators near the end of March to address state aid reductions to education in the district.
`We will remember in November who stood up for our students,` said Pacheco. `We will do whatever it takes to support the right of our students to a high quality public education.`
During the budget presentation, Spring disputed previous comments made by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, saying an across-the-board salary freeze wouldn’t close the funding gap and reserves cannot be drained since they are in place for specific purposes. She also said mandate relief wasn’t realized for the current budget.
`State aid formulas seems to favor the downstate wealthier districts,` said Spring. `There was a lot of talk about mandate relief this year and nothing came to fruition.`
She expressed concern about the purposed property tax cap, saying it would only add to the problem and complicate things further, as state and federal aid decreases for the district.
State aid was reduced by $3.4 million, but was offset by $800,000 in federal education jobs money. The reduction in federal stimulus money also dropped by almost $1.5 million too. The total reduction for aid coming to the district for the 2011-12 budget is projected to be $4.07 million.
To achieve the purposed 2.5 percent tax levy increase, the district cut nearly $2.8 million from its budget. The district addressed keeping class sizes down after hearing concerns from faculty and parents during the budget forums.
The estimated tax increase for the average home in Rotterdam assessed at $150,000 would be about $56.91 for the 2011-12 budget, totaling $2,335.
Pacheco said after the salary freeze was approved that teachers have shown they are doing their part in trying to help maintain educational and programming standards and the district and urged community members to vote in favor of the proposed budget.
`Everyone is taking a little bit of a sacrifice, and we hope the community will also help us out in reaching our goals to not jeopardize our students education,` she said. `We will be able to support the rights the students have to a quality education Mohonasen can provide and has provided.“
