Mohonasen Central School District is likely facing another year of budget cuts after shedding more than $6.5 million in spending and 60 positions over the last three years.
The district held its first community budget forum on Monday, Jan 30, at the Mohonasen High School Farnsworth Technology Center. The forum included a presentation from school officials on the 2012-13 budget process and then attendees broke off into groups to discuss various questions related to the budget. Also, the district for the first time had people connected to the meeting through an online interface with audio and slides shared online.
Superintendent Kathleen Spring started the forum with a hard look at where the district could be headed if state aid continues to decline.
The district will likely see a 1 percent increase in state aid, according to Spring, or about $180,000. This year, the district is also seeing expiring federal aid, resulting in $843,000 less to help ease the budget burden.
“About 50 percent of our budget comes through state aid,” she said. “If something doesn’t change drastically in terms of the funding formula, or combined with serious mandate relief, we have about two to three years we will be able to operate as a district.”
Spring said it would be an “economic disaster for Rotterdam” if the district ceased operating.
This also became a concern expressed during the breakout groups, because cutting programs and services also makes the school less valuable to those using it.
Scott Singlemen, father to a junior student and a 1-year-old, said continuing to gut the budget could have people turned off from moving into the district. Also, he said others might choose to leave.
Every breakout group basically turned down the option of having no tax levy increase, which would mean drastic reductions in staffing and programming. Once scenario presented would increase taxes 3.4 percent over the tax cap. This would require a supermajority of over 61 percent voter approval. A decent amount of community members in attendance supported this option, but felt the community wouldn’t pass it.
This left a consensus around another scenario of raising taxes right up to the tax levy limit, which is 2.3 percent for Mohonasen.
Under this scenario the district would still make nearly $1.4 million in budget reductions. The estimated impact on a home assessed at $100,000 would be an additional $35.50 increase in Rotterdam, $41 increase in Guilderland and a $52.50 increase in Colonie.
Mohonasen Board of Education President Dominic Cafarelli said he was “a little offended” to hear Gov. Andrew Cuomo say schools aren’t efficient. District officials have Mohonasen coming the seventh most efficient district in the state when it comes to per-pupil spending.
“For us to lose the kind of money we did is kind of unfair, but that is the hand we have been dealt and we have to deal with it,” Cafarelli said. “Sitting in the classroom tonight I think I heard a lot of great ideas … if we all work together I think we can accomplish many of our goals.
The second community budget forum will be held at the high school in the Farnsworth Technology Center on Wednesday, Feb. 29, at 6:30 p.m. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP with District Communications Coordinator Adrienne Leon by emailing [email protected] or calling 356-8250.
