Most area school districts will be receiving at least some additional state aid following the adoption of the state budget, but the Voorheesville Central School District looks to be the exception.
Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, told the Voorheesville Board of Education Monday, April 8, that it is the only system in her district where aid will decrease year-to-year.
“There are reasons why you got less, but you’re the only that did get less in my Senate District,” Tkaczyk said. “There’s a little bit of money left, whether or not you get it I don’t know, but you can certainly attempt to ask for it.”
Tkaczyk said there is $15 million in “bullet aid” available within the senate’s budget, intended to provide a shot of aid to school districts outside of the normal formula for aid distribution. There is no formal process to apply for or distribute such aid, though the district has written to Tkaczyk to request it.
The state’s 2013-14 budget increased aid to school districts by $936.6 million compared to the previous year’s budget. The adopted budget also includes $436 million more in education aid when compared to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget.
Voorheesville is receiving nearly $196,000 less in state aid for the coming school year, or a 3.7 percent reduction, for a total of $5.1 million. District officials said the actual aid should be $5.9 million in 2013-14.
Gregory Diefenbach, district assistant superintendent for business, said there are two reasons the district is receiving less state aid this year. Last school year, the district implemented full-day kindergarten and received almost $250,000 to help with the transition. That one-time funding boost left a gap this year, and the district’s transportation aid was also affected by the change.
Switching to full-day K reduced the number of daily bus routes. Transportation aid is based on the previous school year’s expenses, so as the district realized savings it also sees reduced aid. The reduction in transportation aid was more than $60,000 to a total of around $675,000.
District administrators have crafted a 2013-14 budget totaling $22.6 million, an increase of $695,000, or 3.17 percent. The proposed property tax levy increase of 3.23 percent is below the district’s 3.87 percent tax cap.
Proposed reductions remained largely unchanged from those discussed at the board’s March 25 meeting. Diefenbach said cuts total around $315,000, and include eliminating one bus route and cutting field trips by 50 percent; reducing clerical work time by one month; reducing substitute usage; eliminating advisors for the middle/high school art club, FBLA, Masterminds and Envirothon clubs; reducing humanities funding for speakers, supplies and stipends; reducing equipment purchases by 50 percent or almost $60,000; and eliminating freshman boy’s basketball for a $4,500 savings.
Diefenbach said the cuts could change over time, but the dollar amount tied to those reductions would be consistent.
“These positions associated with these cuts don’t mean it is going to be that,” he said. “It is the dollars behind them that is going to come into play.”
District officials dropped a proposal to eliminate the elementary school Science Lab and appear to be dropping plans to restructure music programming.
The public focused mostly on the possible elimination of freshman basketball at the April 8 meeting. Resident James Konicki said athletic programming is an important aspect of the educational experience because it motivates students to succeed. His son plays basketball.
“A lot of these key extracurricular programs are the motivators, because they are the extra value added for that student that focuses them to become not just athletes, not just people who play a sport, but scholar athletes,” Konicki said. “I know it works with my son. His grades are actually going up because his AAU team stresses being a scholar athlete.”
Eighth-grade student Matt Bernhard said he was looking forward to playing freshman basketball next school year.
“If I can’t do freshmen, then I will probably play somewhere else,” Bernhard said. “I want to play for my school now.”
Voorheesville Board of Education President Timothy Blow said eliminating the freshman team wasn’t just a budgetary decision, but was motivated by the lack of competition for the team. Blow offered to meet with freshman basketball coaches and parents to try and discuss alternative solutions.
“I for one would do whatever we can to support it,” Blow said.
The largest portion of the proposed 2013-14 budget is in salaries at 47.5 percent of the budget, or $10.72 million. Employee benefits come in second at a total of almost $6.55 million. That expense is increasing by 10 percent.
The Board of Education is scheduled to adopt the 2013-14 budget during a special meeting Tuesday, April 23. A public hearing on the budget will be held Monday, May 13, and district residents will vote on the budget Tuesday, May 21.