Schalmont school officials are looking at the 2012-13 budget somewhat relieved with no drastic cuts to programming, but Superintendent Valerie Kelsey warned next year might sting.
The Schalmont Budget Advisory Committee held its first meeting on Thursday, March 8, and discussed potential reductions to close the $340,000 budget gap. District officials are proposing a 1.94 percent tax levy increase for an additional $555,000. The district could propose a tax levy increase up to 2.33 percent and remain under the state tax cap threshold. The budget totals almost $41.93 million and holds about $154,000 increase in spending over the 2011-12 budget.
“As we’ve closed schools and cut staff we have been able to be fiscally responsible,” Kelsey said. “I think you will see around us there are schools in great crisis this year.”
District officials had predicted more painful cuts falling around $600,000 to $1 million, but state aid remained basically flat and the recently approved teachers union contract helped close the gap. The union contract is estimated to save the district $390,000 annually and covers from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2014.
Potential budget reductions across the elementary level include reducing elementary counseling by 0.2 full-time equivalent employee, reducing library aid by 0.5 FTE and reducing school nurse staffing by 0.2 FTE. Also, eliminating the elementary school literacy summer reading program was proposed to save the district $15,000.
Constant drops in enrollment have driven changes to the elementary school level, with only one of three schools remaining open after merging to Jefferson this school year.
“We have been systematically having declining enrollment,” Kelsey said.
The current school year enrollment fell below estimates, which was 1,877 students as opposed to the projected 1,895. The projected enrollment for the 2012-13 school year was 1,874 students. Kelsey expects the district to fall below next year’s estimates.
“We have typically been losing on the average between 40 to 45 kids every single school year,” Kelsey. “We have just seen our kindergarten enrollment … and it seems to be for the first time we are looking at some stabilization.”
The best-case scenario for the district, she said, is for enrollment to stabilize and not to continue to decrease. If nothing “unusual” happens, Kelsey said the projected enrollment for 2018-19 would be 1,753 students.
Although the district isn’t facing double-digit staff reductions and a budget gap stretching into the millions, Kelsey stressed the district still faces difficult budgets in upcoming years.
“While the closing of schools, the cutting of staff have made us relatively solvent … the prognosis for us is no different than other schools with the tax cap,” she said. “We will probably have to cut next year anywhere from half a million to maybe $750,000 … things are not going to get any better unless something changes.”
During the Budget Advisory Committee’s meeting on Tuesday, March 13, Kelsey outlined proposed district-wide reductions.
Administration at the Middle and High School is set to be reduced by 0.6 FTE through restructuring duties. Declining enrollment is also leading to reducing teaching staff by two FTE, which stems several minor cuts to around nine positions.
Support staff holds the largest reduction at 5.63 FTE, which includes reducing library and teacher aides district wide by 3.25 FTE, high school security personnel reduced by one FTE, maintenance personnel by 0.2 FTE and reducing hall and bus monitors by 1.18 FTE.
Class sizes are planned to remain unchanged under the proposed budget.
Kelsey is scheduled to present her final budget proposal to the committee and school board on Monday, March 19, at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium. The school board is scheduled to adopt the 2012-13 budget proposal on Monday, April 16, which will go before voters on Tuesday, May 15.
For more information on Schalmont’s budget proposal and budget calendar visit the district’s website at www.schalmont.org.
