NEW BERLIN – Unadilla Valley Superintendent Robert Mackey has decided to take a transparent approach to figuring out the school’s fiscal future and in a public budget workshop, he revealed the worst-case scenario, announcing the potential cut of 24 positions.
“I believe in having an open and honest process,” said Mackey. “One of the most important parts of this year’s budget process is getting the word out to everyone. I met with the teacher’s union in February and gave them much more information than they usually receive. I want everyone to understand the problems we’re facing. This just isn’t the board’s issue, it’s something that’s going to affect everyone in the school and in our communities.”
Mackey said he had already personally notified the 24 employees of the situation. Other potential cuts being considered could eliminate school sports, summer school and other programs.
School Board of Education member William J. Lyons would later tell a crowd of about 40 parents and teachers, “at this point we don’t even know if we’re going to have any sports.”
Mackey held a presentation in the school’s auditorium Tuesday night an hour before the board met for its regular monthly meeting.
The Superintendent said a decreasing trend of enrollment and the state’s current fiscal crisis were the two main factors in the proposed cuts.
“Even in a best-case scenario, we’d only have reductions in the work force due to decreasing enrollment. As enrollment continues to decline, we have to expect a reduction in the work force over time,” he told the crowd. Over the last two years, the school has eliminated 11 positions due to dropping enrollment; 10 of those were through regular attrition.
The 24 positions on the block this year would include four employees leaving for retirement or other employment; the rest would be laid off.
Mackey said he was working with the board and the unions in conceiving a new plan “based on a number of variables,” that could restore up to 14 positions at the school. However, he said he could not promise anything because a number of considerations, including the passing of a state budget, could aeffect the outcome of any proposals made at this time.
“We have an idea, but really we’re not sure where we stand with the state or when they’ll pass a budget. That makes putting ours together difficult,” he said. Mackey said the worst part of putting a plan together is simply not knowing, saying, “Even if there was more bad news, at least we’d know what to prepare for.”
However Mackey admitted that even under ideal circumstances the district would still be looking at reducing its staff by at least 10 positions this year.
Using handouts and a projection screen, the superintendent reviewed the reasons for the current budget crisis and the last four years of enrollment.
He said the school was currently looking at about a $1.8 million shortfall in its 2010-2011 budget.
Mackey cited nearly $849,668 in expenditure increases from the increasing costs of material and supplies, rising fuel and electric utility costs and retirement and medical benefit costs.
“In the past eight years, the cost of providing health insurance has risen 100 percent. The cost of retirement is also rising – not at that pace, but the state comptroller has warned us that in the coming years it is expected to cost us a great deal more,” said Mackey.
Another factor in the $1.8 million budget gap was due to federal and state reductions in aid, with school revenues losing another $988,443.
Mackey said if the unions agreed to no wage increase in the coming year, the school could save some positions and reduce any increases in proposed tax levy. If such an agreement was successful, he said, the school was looking at a 5.35 percent increase in the current levy without sports and a 12.92 percent increase with them.
“At this point, these numbers are not final, but these are where we are starting from and that’s a concern. We aren’t putting these figures out there to frighten people; we want everyone to understand the situation we’re in,” he said. “We have to find the balance between providing the best quality education we can and placing burdens on the taxpayer.”
One concerned parent, Remy Ramsaran, said his family moved to the area four years ago from Arizona and chose to live in South New Berlin just so his kids could attend UV.
“Is there anything we can do? I commend your efforts and the school’s and I know this is an issue all across the country, but this is going to kill us, it’s going to kill our children’s futures,” he said, pointing out the school was cutting three business teaching positions and that students would be walking into a recession even less prepared. Mackey said many of the cuts involved state mandates for some programs over others.
“In my opinion, those three cuts are some of the worst,” Mackey told Ramsaran.
Another parent challenged the current union policy of eliminating teachers solely on terms of seniority.
“So if there’s a new teacher who is enthusiastic and really good at their job, does all the things a great new teacher could do and there’s an older one that’s not so great, the younger one gets cut because they haven’t worked here as long?” asked Lynn Macumber. Mackey responded immediately by saying “Basically, yes.”
Mackey said he and the school board would be having a special meeting Monday to discuss the issue further and at the meeting he may recommend tapping into the school’s four million dollar reserve fund to soften the financial blow but was cautious about the prospect.
“We don’t want to spend more than we have every year, that’s Albany-style budgeting and it’ll get us into more trouble down the road, but a reasonable amount is being considered,” he said.
Mackey said moving funds from the capital reserve would require a public vote.
Mackey also said lawmakers and those the school was consulting with had reported the economic downturn may be impacting schools for the next three or four years, with more cuts anticipated.