In an effort to close a $4.2 million budget gap, Bethlehem Central School officials announced the first proposed 2012-13 budget cuts at a workshop held during a regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, March 7.
The focus of the night was on possible reductions to the district’s transportation services and cutbacks to the Operations and Maintenance Department. If all of the considered reductions for the two departments were enacted, the district would stand to save nearly $1.4 million, but some of the proposals did not sit well with parents and district employees.
“Don’t just look at this as a dollar and cents thing, because you’re looking way wrong,” said district bus driver John Pittz. “You have to pay attention to the safety of these children.”
Reduction proposals for the transportation budget include creating more centralized bus stops for students, eliminating three part-time driver positions, eliminating a supervisor position, no longer having a late bus for middle school or high school students and reducing the spare fleet of buses by four.
If enough reductions cannot be agreed upon or the budget is not passed, there is a proposal to increase the walking distance for students up to the New York State maximum of two miles, which would save the district up to $600,000.
Superintendent Thomas Douglas said this is a measure that the board can pass anytime it chooses and does not have to be voted on by the public, but board members said the idea is low on its list of priorities given it would affect elementary and middle school students.
Last year, voters approved extending the walking distance around the high school from one-half-mile to a full mile. There was a discussion about making the switch at the middle school, but that proposal was dropped.
Chief Budget and Financial Officer Judith Kehoe said the change would affect about 20 bus drivers in some way. Though the board can extend walking distances to the state maximum whenever it pleases, any changes under the maximum would be subject to voter referendum.
But Douglas warned, “convenience and cost will not go hand in hand any longer.”
He added some positions will need to be cut this budget cycle because the district can no longer put off purchasing needed equipment.
“This is the problem that the district has… a long-term record of deferment,” said Douglas, who took office in January. “Sooner or later you’re doing to have to make cuts in other areas than defer your equipment or defer some of your purchases. And I hate to say that because it’s human versus material, but the business of the school has to still go forward.”
The proposal to eliminate all late buses was also deemed a low-priority cut, because boards members said some students would be unable to get extra help in subjects and it would limit their ability to participate in after school activities.
Bethlehem Central is facing a $4.2 million budget gap for the 2012-2013 school year. The district had previously estimated a $4.4 million gap, which figures in the use of $1.7 million of savings and the maximum tax hike, but Kehoe said the district could now raise the tax levy by 2.94 percent and still meet the tax cap requirements. It had originally been figured that the levy could be raised just 2.72 percent for Bethlehem.
Proposed reductions to the Operations and Maintenance Department include the loss of a custodian and a supervisor, deferring equipment and supply purchases, eliminating requested projects in various buildings and closing the middle school pool. The district would also save money if it were able to sell the building at 90 Adams Place, or lease Clarksville Elementary School to the Albany County Sheriff’s Office.
Closing the pool is considered a low priority given concerns middle school children would lose the opportunity for swimming lessons in gym class. The pools closure would save the district a proposed $25,000.
Facilities and Operations Director Gregg Nolte said position reductions are “not his choice,” but considering the economic climate his department would have to make do.
Before the workshop began, two freshman students, Annie Furman and Madeline Hagan, spoke out in favor of a communal bus stop proposal. They said they were willing to walk the extra distance if it meant classes would be saved. The two girls also gave the board a petition with nearly 250 student signatures.
“Under the current bus system most students are dropped off at or near their house, and this is not something I’m opposed to,” said Furman. “But this seems like an inefficient practice, not only in terms of time but also in regards to fuel and the number of buses needed.”
The board asked Transportation Director Alfred Karam for an estimate within the next week on how much could be saved by the idea, though Kehoe believed it would only amount to several thousand dollars versus plans to change the walking distance.
At the start of the 2010-11 school year, a new bus route plan that consolidated stops for 5,500 students was met with well over 1,000 complaints. Parents were mostly concerned about their children’s safety as they were walking, officials said at the time, and the switches didn’t result in a large savings. The number of bus stops was increased a short time later.
The next budget meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the high school library and will focus on special education, athletics, and revenue.