GREENE – On May 19, taxpayers in the Greene Central School District will cast their vote yea or nay on the proposed budget for the 2009-10 academic year. The $22,083,389 budget represents an increase in spending of $38,265, or .17 percent, over the current year.
The impact on district residents will be an estimated tax levy increase of .51 percent, the first increase in two years.
“The board challenged us to make sure the budget to budget increase (from the current year to next year) was as minimal as possible,” explained Superintendent Gary Smith.
According to the administrator, the board had originally tasked the district with developing a budget with at most a 4 percent increase in the tax levy. They later revised that directive.
“I think the board recognizes the danger in substantially increasing our budget in the fiscal environment that we find ourselves in right now,” Smith said.
There was a modicum of good news during the budget process when the district learned that they the amount they would gain in federal stimulus money would roughly offset the $551,000 they were slated to lose in Governor Paterson’s deficit reduction plan.
“Certainly the Federal Stimulus package helped us,” Smith said. The district was also able to tap into its un-appropriated fund balance for $25,200, which further bolstered the revenue side of the budget. But even that wasn’t enough to keep the total budget flat.
“The board of education made nearly $380,000 in cuts,” the superintendent reported. Unfortunately, those cuts include a total of two full-time teaching positions, an LTA, a part-time custodian and a typist. All of these positions are due to be vacated through retirement or attrition, Smith explained, “so there is no person who will be losing a position.”
Four teaching assistants will, however, lose their jobs. Eight athletic teams will also lose their paid assistant coaches.
Other areas affected were supply budgets, which were reduced across the board, and transportation. “We’re going to reduce the number of busses for our late activity run,” Smith explained.
One program, summer driver’s education, will also be cut. According to the superintendent, parents will still have the opportunity to pay for this program out-of-pocket.
“We tried to consider items that were as far away from the classroom as we possibly could,” Smith said, but despite their best efforts the necessary reductions will be painful for the district particularly where staff positions were eliminated.
“None of these cuts are good,” he explained. “They’re going to impact the students in some way, shape or form.”
And the superintendent doesn’t believe the district’s budget woes will end in the coming year. He is already concerned about the 2010-11 budget.
“We had three events that really helped us this year,” Smith said. Not only did the district’s retirement contributions decrease, but health insurance premiums also dipped slightly and the estimated cost of diesel and fuel oil are lower, he explained. “If those three things hadn’t occurred, we’d be looking for another $600,000 to cut.”
The school’s board of education approved the proposed budget on April 21. In a letter to district residents, which will be distributed as part of the annual budget newsletter, the board expressed their support of the spending plan.
“Our school district is on sound financial footing, and we have academic and extra-curricular programs that rival those of any other district in the area,” the board stated. “This budget allows us to continue providing a solid education for our students while being mindful of the challenging economic conditions facing our taxpayers.”
District residents will have an opportunity to learn more about the budget at the Budget Hearing at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 11 in the Middle School/High School Auditorium.
Residents will vote on the proposed budget on Tuesday, May 19. Polls will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the lobby of the Middle School/High School Auditorium on that day.