OXFORD – Thanks to a restoration of state aid, Oxford’s latest budget proposal adds back several programs and positions previously on the chopping block. But while there may be fewer casualties, school staff members still have plenty of questions about what is in and what is out.
Oxford Teachers Association (OTA) President Jon Rogers said last night’s special budget meeting, where Superintendent Randy Squier presented a new and improved version of his Feb. 25 plan, left him feeling “torn.”
On one hand, Rogers said, he applauds the superintendent’s efforts to restore teaching positions in the new plan. “However,” he continued. “I think Oxford can ill afford to lose any of its fine teachers.”
Squier’s proposal, which the superintendent called “reasonable,” calls for an increase in district spending by $146,292, an .85 percent increase over the current year’s budget. Total spending under the plan would be $17,281,355, and would require an estimated 3.5 percent increase in the tax levy, he reported.
In the prior proposal, nine teaching positions were slated to be abolished as were the positions of three full-time Licensed Teaching Assistants. An additional four teachers were told they could be reduced to part-time.
Under the latest plan, the number of positions slated to be cut has been reduced to seven teachers and one LTA. Of these reductions, two teaching positions will be vacated through retirement and the LTA through attrition.
“Five active employees, teachers, would lose their jobs in this proposal,” Squier said. In addition, five teaching aide positions would be reduced to part time.
Despite the cuts, the superintendent’s plan also calls for the addition of several positions. Those positions include two special education teachers as needed, explained Director of Special Programs Dawn Hover, in order to bring the school into compliance with New York State requirements. Also to be added are three teaching aides.
Off the table is the discussion of adding a maintenance position and reducing the district’s Director of Student Instruction Janet Laytham to part-time instructional, part-time administration. The latter proposal had drawn harsh criticism from teachers who felt that it actually represented an addition rather than a subtraction, as no cut in administrative expenses accompanied the move. The OTA president denied that Laytham herself was the target of that frustration.
“I am dismayed that all of our concerns that the administration does not share in the burden of sacrifice seem to be targeted towards one administrative position,” Rogers said. Instead, he said, he and his fellow teachers would like to see any concessions from the administration to show that “they, too, are prepared to share the burden.”
There was additional frustration when little specific information was given about what programs and people were being restored and what was being cut, particularly when Squier and Business Manager Harold Covey refused to disclose the dollar amounts associated with staffing cuts.
Budget documents will not be made public until they have been approved by the board, said Covey. Despite a specific budget amount being given during the meeting, he said that the details had not been finalized.
Squier also declined to comment on which positions would be affected by the changes, saying he had not had an opportunity to talk to individuals who would be affected.
“We finished this at about 6 p.m. tonight,” he said, referring to the budget documents which he and Covey had scrambled to finish prior to the meeting.
High School teacher Liz Schaefer expressed confusion over the addition of three new teachers aide positions while five other aides were being cut to part time.
“We’re hiring new people?” she asked.
Even the board of education expressed frustration in the face of criticism that they weren’t asking “the hard questions” about the budget.
“The questions are being asked and they aren’t easy ones,” said Board Member Mary Branham, who said since staff positions were being discussed they were done in executive session. “There is not one person out there who I wouldn’t want to fight for.”
Squier said the district’s principals were “gutwrenched” over the stress of the budget process. For the first time, they were allowed to weigh in. All advocated for maintaining as many staff positions as possible, as well as that of the curriculum coordinator.
“I’ve spent the last month defending teachers,” said Primary School Principal Tim McDonald. “It’s not easy.”
“We need to get to the conversation of “we” and “us,” and how we can get through this,” McDonald said. “These are tough times. We don’t need division to get through this.”