More than 100 people turned out to the Voorheesville school district’s budget forum on Monday, March 24, and several parents expressed an overarching fear the community was losing its distinguishing characteristics.
Voorheesville Central School District is facing a budget gap of around $320,000 to stay within its state-mandated tax cap. The gap does not include any additional state aid proposed to be included in the state budget, which was not adopted before The Spotlight went to press Monday, March 31. Voorheesville’s proposed 2014-15 budget totals nearly $22.9 million, which increases spending by 1.45 percent, or around $327,500. District enrollment has also gradually declined from 1,227 in the 2008-09 school year to 1,173 this school year.
The district’s budget presentation on March 10 had the Board of Education looking to cut around $418,000, but they made adjustments outside of staffing. The new reductions cut about $97,500 from the gap through reducing supplies and contracted services, decreasing health and dental insurance premiums, reducing supplied and contracted instructional services, and cutting $7,500 from the athletic program.
Board President Timothy Blow said the community budget forum was primarily to receive feedback and input from the community on the proposal. The meeting lasted around two hours after an initial budget presentation.
“Our goal tonight is not to react, respond or make a decision tonight. Our primary purpose is to listen,” Blow said. “I don’t want to leave the impression that this doesn’t mean anything; it means a lot, but there is a process we are going through.”
Blow also stressed the budget is not finalized yet, with a lot depending on how much state aid the district receives. He said the district prefers to predict state aid conservatively to be ready for the “worst case scenario.”
“Last year, we went through a series of versions where things keep getting added back to the line items because it (state aid) ended up being more than we originally anticipated,” Blow said.
Julie Reynolds, who is the parent of a kindergartener and fourth-grader in the district, said the district’s focus on “special” areas is what has made it positively stand out. Reynolds said she and her husband moved back to Voorheesville three years ago partially because of the school district.
“I would like to argue it is not our sports teams or excellence in the core subject areas, but that in a small community like ours we have something that makes us special,” Reynolds said. “Science, music, computer and arts are given importance in the elementary school. … I believe these priorities enrich our community as a whole.”
Reynolds said she applauded the district for not eroding special areas during prior budget years, but urged board members to find other ways to close the gap.
Several parents of third-grade students were concerned next school year there would be one section reduced, which would increase class sizes to an average of 26 students per class in fourth grade. There are 104 students in the grade level with five sections currently. Eliminating the section, results in a savings of around $69,000.
There were also a couple parents claiming the class has a higher level of special needs students, who would be negatively affected in a larger class size.
Kristen Reno, principal of an elementary school in Chatham, said class size “absolutely matters,” and 26 students would be too many for one classroom.
“The love of education is fostered in the elementary school, and with the larger class sizes that becomes very difficult,” Reno said, who has a first-grader in the district.
Another contentious proposal was the district phasing out French classes, which would leave Spanish as the only foreign language taught. All students currently taking French would be allowed to continue studying the language.
Winnie Scherer said French is the 10th most commonly spoken language in the world and is spoken by our closest international neighbors in Quebec.
“In an increasing connected world, knowledge of a foreign language is becoming increasingly important,” Scherer said. “When I think about why French is important, I think of my daughter who found her strength in foreign languages in the sixth grade when she took an after-school Chinese class.”
Scherer said the district “cannot afford” to shrink its foreign language program to only one option.
Voorheesville Teachers Association President Kathy Fiero, a remedial math teacher at the elementary school, said the union has believed the process could have been more collaborative.
Fiero added there could be potential savings through reorganization of the district office following the recent resignation of Assistant Superintendent for Business Gregory Diefenbach. Fiero also said Superintendent of Schools Teresa Thayer Snyder has expressed she may retire in “the near future.”
“It may be an opportunity to look at how we structure our district office administration, and I would like to ask that some consideration be given to that,” Fiero said. “I would hate to see us sort of have a knee-jerk reaction that we have to fill this position and then a year or two down the road are looking to go in a different direction.”
Snyder said crafting the budget has been a “truly painful and grueling task.” Blow added there are “no easy answers” to determining the budget.
“If anyone has any creative options or creative suggestions or thoughts whatsoever please do not hesitate to bring them forward,” Blow said. “It may seem stupid, but if we don’t hear them, it is not something we can consider.”
