Combing different grades into one classroom isn’t a new approach to achieving savings, but some parents and community members aren’t welcoming it.
The Niskayuna Central School District held its first community budget forum on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Van Antwerp Middle School, and it focused on class sizes and combinations. Elementary class sizes were the grade levels discussed.
District officials said nine combined classes would be the maximum amount in the 2012-13 school year. These combinations would yield a projected minimum savings of $585,000, but adding savings from physical education, music and art would bring the overall savings to $682,500. All but two of the combined classes would have less than 26 students, with two of the fourth- and fifth-grade combined classes holding 27 students.
Superintendent Susan Salvaggio said over the last six months she met with parents and school staff to discuss their concerns and receive input on the upcoming budget. She repeatedly said she heard the schools have a large role in the surrounding community.
“Our schools, our programs and our services that we provide for children are the most important thing to us about our schools,” she said.
Click the web address to take the district’s survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NiskayaunaBudget2011
The district is facing a $3.5 million budget gap if it is to remain under the state mandated property tax cap, which holds the district to a 2.31 percent increase in property tax levies. If the Board of Education decided to present a budget to voters over the limit it would require a supermajority of 60 percent voting in support.
The 2011-12 budget approved by voters totals over $77.19 million and increased spending by more than $740,000, or 0.97 percent, and it had a tax levy increase of just under 4 percent. The budget was approved by 61 percent of voters.
“We are in a very difficult economic climate and I think everybody realizes that,” said Salvaggio.
In order to help clarify what the tax cap stands for, Salvaggio said she would refer to it as the “tax levy threshold legislation” since it doesn’t hold the perceived 2 percent tax levy cap.
She added reserves couldn’t be used to close the district’s gap because it would empty the account.
After looking at the gap in the budget, she said the district looked at combining classes. The subject came up during last year’s budget talks in March, she said, but some parents expressed there wasn’t enough time to review it.
All forums will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Van Antwerp Middle School auditorium.
Dec. 20: Administration & Previous budget reductions
Jan. 10: Special Education and support services
Jan. 24: Program and course offerings & Extracurricular activities
Feb. 7: Community use of facilities
Feb. 28: Outsourcing & Shared services
“You’ll notice this year that it is the first item up for discussion,” she said.
A breakdown of the proposed combination classrooms was included during the presentation, with Birchwood Elementary School having three combined classrooms, the most out of the five elementary schools. Birchwood would have one combined class for K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 grade students.
Glencliff and Rosendale elementary schools would have two combined classes each, with Glencliff combining one K-1 and 4-5 classroom and Rosendale combining one 2-3 and one 4-5 classroom. Craig and Hillside elementary schools would have only one combined class each, with Craig combing a 1-2 classroom and Hillside combining a K-1 classroom.
“These are snapshots for today and what we know is that enrollment will change,” said Salvaggio. “We have declining enrollment for next year of about, at the elementary level, of almost 100 students based on real numbers.”
Some members of the public were concerned about children being combined in the K-1 classroom, because there would possibly be too large of a gap between learning level differences.
Deborah Shea, assistant superintendent for Educational Programs and Instruction, said pre-testing would allow students to be grouped together properly.
She said in terms of literacy, there are students in kindergarten and first grade students similar to each other. She said many children coming into kindergarten are ready to read, but some children in first grade aren’t ready to read and the kindergarten curriculum would suit those students.
Shawn Bushway, a University at Albany professor and parent of a Glencliff student, said combination classes aren’t “educationally the right thing to do.”
“It was not presented this year, or last year, as an educational solution. It was presented as a solution to a budget problem,” Bushway said.
Instead of combination classes, he said he would support increased class sizes.
“The problem I think here is it is a choice between who wins and who loses,” said Bushway. “If you go to a big class everybody sort of loses a little. If you go to combo classes some people lose a lot, some kids actually gain. … I would rather have everybody lose a little bit than some kids lose a lot and other kids benefit.”
He said closing one of the elementary schools should also be presented as an option, because the small schools lead to a “lumpy” distribution of class sizes.
“It is hard to talk about closing schools, but it is something … that should be on the table,” he said.
Despite concerns expressed over the combined classes, resident Aliza Mesbahi spoke in support of the proposal.
“Combination classes used to be done routinely … it was a great thing,” Mesbahi said. “I keep hoping they will do a four-five split again at Hillside.”
She said she understands the parents with young kids, but said the combination classes provide a good outcome.
“It all depends on the classroom teacher,” she said. “I think people get all crazy about class size and combination classes.”
Joe Skumurski, the parent of a Hillside student and Van Antwerp student, said the school’s budget is going to need to override the tax cap in order to maintain services and programming provided to students.
He questioned where the cuts were going to stop before too much damage is done to school programming.
Jim Hunter, 78, a Niskayuna resident for 37 years, said he has never questioned the quality of the district’s education programs, but taxes need to be controlled.
“For seniors, it is a very difficult proposition,” he said.
The next budget forum is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 20, at the regular 6:30 p.m. time slot before the Board of Education meeting held in the Van Antwerp Middle School auditorium. The second forum will focus on administration and previous budget reductions. For information on future budget forums visit the district’s website at www.NiskySchools.org.
