OXFORD – Oxford knows it isn’t the only New York district faced with tough decisions as a result of reductions in the state aid. But that is small consolation as the school system begins a budget season which promises to be even more excruciating than last year.
“We know there will be a large gap,” said Superintendent Randy Squier, referring to the $331,933 reduction in state aid the district could be hit with based on Governor David Paterson’s executive budget proposal. “It’s going to be a very difficult budget year.”
While those revenue numbers aren’t set in stone yet, they are a safe starting point for budget calculations because Squier doesn’t expect them to drop any further.
“The worst case scenario is that they go with his proposal,” he reported. And while there is still hope that some aid will be restored by the legislature, Squier isn’t exactly optimistic. Based on what he’s been hearing from Albany, “they are not going to be putting much back, if any,” he said.
Last year, the district was faced with a proposed $184,000 cut, which was never realized thanks to federal stimulus money.
The second half of those stimulus funds – which amount to approximately $230,000 – are already into the aid estimates for next year, Squier explained. He doesn’t anticipate another influx of federal money “showing up to save the day.”
Developing the current year’s budget, which totals $17,228,700 and represented a .55 percent increase in spending over the prior academic year, was a heated process during which the board and administration met with resistance and criticism from both the district’s staff and community members. This year, Oxford is following a new, more transparent plan of action for the budget process; one the superintendent characterizes as “honest” and “unfiltered.”
According to Squier, faculty and staff spent two days last week trying to identify areas where the district could realize greater efficiencies, exploring “what if” scenarios and discussing the district’s strengths and weaknesses.
“We want to make sure everybody has been heard on these important questions,” the district administrator said. Those comments are still being typed up, he explained, and will be given to the board.
He says he plans to continue involving the faculty and staff in the discussion and will return to them with feedback from the board “after budget numbers become more firm.”
Squier admits that the district is starting budget meetings later this year than last, but attributes this to the fact that they are still waiting to get a better “handle” on the school expenditures. They have yet to receive final numbers on health insurance costs from the consortium they are a part of, as well as some BOCES numbers.
Perhaps the largest unknown at this point will be contractual wage increases for the district’s teaching staff. The Oxford Teacher’s Association’s current contract is set to expire on June 30 of this year. According to Squier, the district and the OTA are currently in negotiations on a new agreement.
The superintendent said he is “optimistic” that a new deal will be inked before the existing contract expires. Until that occurs, it makes budgeting for next year more difficult.
Even as the district examines ways of being more efficient, it will be difficult to balance the more than $330,000 reduction in state aid revenues. As a result, Squier said program cuts will likely be unavoidable and he anticipates “difficult conversations” this budget season.
“We will attempt to start as far from the classroom as possible,” he said.
It is “too early to tell,” he added, whether staffing cuts will be necessary as well.
The district has scheduled its first special budget meeting for February 24, with additional meetings slated for March 29 and April 5. According to Squier, they will also likely include the topic on the agenda for the school board’s regular meetings on March 8 and April 12.
A public hearing will be held on the proposed spending plan on May 6, before going to vote on May 18.