For months, area schools have been trying to make the hard decisions. This year is a year of economic hardship – for both districts and for taxpayers – and school boards and administrators are being forced to take a closer look at the funds they need and how they are going to get them.

A lot of districts in Chenango County have been hit hard this year. State aid is down, as a result of drastic cuts to the state budget and a faltering economy, and costs continue to rise. While this situation would generally require schools to pass the cost increase along to district residents, many don’t want to do so with so many families suffering as a result of the economy.

So what is there to do? Many schools have pared down their budgets little by little, eliminating staff through retirement or layoffs, decreasing funding to some programs and activities, taking another look at bus routes to determine if there could be a more economical way to go. And while those changes may help, most will still be required to raise taxes in order to get the funding they need to continue to operate.

Given the stress of this year’s financial picture, it’s no surprise that some taxpayers are upset about another year of tax increases, but I think the real issue is how the information is presented to the public, rather than what the increase turns out to be.