Scotia-Glenville Central School District is likely facing cuts to teaching positions and programs as it seeks to close a $2.3 million budget gap within the state mandated tax cap.
The district’s tax levy cap for 2012-13 holds it to a 2.93 percent levy increase, which would amount to just over $745,000. A carry forward budget for the district, maintaining all current offerings, would require a spending increase of $2.87 million, which is a 6.1 percent increase. If the Board of Education were to propose a 2 percent tax levy increase there would be a budget gap of around $2.53 million.
“Each year gets harder and harder as we have to make more and more cuts,” Board of Education President Pamela Carbone said. “The easy cuts have already been made, so now we are looking at some really hard cuts that are going to hurt. There is just no way around that anymore.”
Superintendent Susan Swartz said she imagines “there will be something to make everyone unhappy.”
On Monday, Feb.27, Swartz said she isn’t recommending closing one of the four elementary schools next school year, but said the Board of Education should discuss the option after wrapping up work on the 2012-13 budget. The district is “on track” to bring in another 200 students to kindergarten, keeping enrollment steady, said Swartz, but cost savings through closing a school would need to be explored.
“We are just trying to leave no stone unturned,” Swartz said. “It will really take us a year in order to do this and do this well.”
If an elementary school were to close, Swartz said it would likely be Glendaal or Glen-Worden, because students are already bused into the school. Sacandaga and Lincoln primarily serve village residents and have a large portion of students not using bus services.
Swartz is also suggesting a different grade organization within the school, with elementary serving grades K-4, middle school 5-7 and high school 8-12. The elementary schools have less available space available, but the high school would be able to serve the extra students, she said.
“Our elementary schools are a little tighter,” she said. “There are many middle schools that have a 5, 6, 7 combination … I think the thing that people will have to think a bit about is 8-12 for high school.”
Swartz said housing developments in the Town of Glenville could drive additional students to the district, although that development is primarily rental properties.
“If those drive students to the district then potentially I think enrollment wise could go back to K-5, 6-8, 9-12, but not for a while,” she said.
Swartz is going to present her first round of proposed reductions during the Board of Education meeting on Monday, March 5. The cuts will total from $1 million to $1.3 million and include around 22 full-time equivalent positions being cut.
In the school’s 2009-10 budget 5.2 FTE positions were cut. The 2010-11 school year held a larger amount of cut positions at 19.7.
For information on the school’s budget visit its website at www.scotiaglenvilleschools.org.
