The Voorheesville Board of Education unanimously adopted a $22.56 million 2013-14 budget during a special meeting on Tuesday, April 23. The tax levy would be raised by 3.23 percent under the plan.
The budget was largely unchanged from the board’s previous meeting, with only fine-tuning reductions. The tax hike is below the district’s state imposed tax cap, and the budget increases spending over this year by nearly $694,000, or 3.17 percent. Fund balance allocation is also increasing by $100,000 to total $700,000.
“The cuts this year are all as painful, but they weren’t as painful as they could have otherwise been,” Board President Timothy Blow said after the meeting. “Our administrators did some things, like the change in the health care, to try and tighten the belt where we can.”
Board members cut around $316,000 from the budget, largely avoiding classroom instruction. Some additional savings were also attainted through restructuring, such as cutting natural gas costs by $33,000 due to joining a larger consortium and streamlining services contracts.
Freshman basketball is slated for elimination, but Blow was fairly optimistic it would be restored. Board members primarily proposed the cut because of the possible lack of competition at that level, Blow said.
“As things develop over the next couple of months, I’m fairly confident that freshman basketball would be restored,” Blow said. “My last report from the athletic director was that he is fairly confident he could get a reasonably good schedule for next year. That was the one reason it was on the cut list.”
Eliminating the freshman team is estimated to save around $4,500, which Blow said could be found through additional cost savings or shifting athletic department funds.
“We’ll find the money if we need to, but I think it will be here next year in one form or another,” Blow said. “It’s a relatively minimal dollar amount. I’m sure we could cover it.”
The aquatics program budget is reduced by almost $8,500, but the athletic director is working to restructure it, according to Assistant Superintendent for Business Gregory Diefenbach.
Other reductions include eliminating one bus route and cutting field trips by 50 percent for $24,5000 in savings; reducing clerical work time by one month for a $19,000 savings; eliminating the middle/high school art club, FBLA, Masterminds and Envirothon clubs; reducing humanities funding for speakers, supplies and stipends; and reducing equipment purchases by $41,500.
The four clubs eliminated have had funds allocated in previous budgets, but there was not a lot of interest in them, according to Diefenbach.
“They are basically clubs that are just not active, so there is no sense to hold a dollar amount aside for them if it is not going to be used,” Diefenbach said.
One reduction that caused some pushback from the public was cutting funds allocated for substitutes by $37,000. Diefenbach said there is approximately $90,000 budgeted for substitutes next school year.
Blow said reducing substitute funding would “impact the classroom,” but employees would not be directly affected.
“The feeling of the administration is that could be picked up in other ways, to reduce the costs of substitutes,” Diefenbach said.
Instead of calling a substitute, Blow said classes could be covered by a study hall with classroom work to complete, or a test could be given.
Christina Berte, a high school science teacher, said the reduction could potentially have “a lot of negative impact.” The cut wouldn’t affect the elementary school.
“We depend on qualified substitutes when we are absent to conduct classes for us, whether that is administering a test, showing an educational video or conducting an actual lesson,” Berte said. “A concern would be a loss of instructional time if those students were simply sent to study halls … because a teacher there … would be unable to do those things that we depend on.”
Superintendent Teresa Thayer Snyder said she understands the concern, but it seemed to be a way to “insulate teachers” from cuts.
“I hear you,” Snyder said. “We are worried about that, too.”
Board member Diana Straut stressed any restorations should go towards priorities identified by the board, such as freshman basketball.
“I just want to make sure that we restore purposefully with things that closely affect classrooms and kids,” Straut said.
Diefenbach told The Spotlight on Wednesday, April 24, the district was not prepared to offer figures on how the budget would increase tax rates for homeowners. He said district officials are hoping to present estimates at the board’s Monday, May 13, budget hearing.
“We will do our best to try and get the best numbers as possible,” he said.
Assessed property values aren’t known by the district until July, Diefenbach said, which is when the tax rate is calculated for municipalities.
Voters will head to the polls Tuesday, May 21, to weigh in on Voorheesville’s 2013-14 budget from 2 to 9 p.m. in the middle school foyer. Voters will also be presented with two referendums alongside the budget. One referendum seeks approval to purchase two 60-passenger buses at $214,000 and the other to transfer up to $250,000 from unallocated fund balances to the repair reserve.
