SHERBURNE – The Sherburne-Earlville school board adopted a tentative 2011-2012 budget Monday that calls for an average tax levy increase of 1.9 percent.
The proposed spending plan, estimated at $29.5 million, would be an increase of 1.66 percent over the present school year’s. The budget calls for the elimination of 13 jobs, including one administrator, and gives no raises to the superintendent and assistant superintendent. Only one teacher is retiring.
“It’s never easy when you have to reduce positions,” said S-E Board of Education President Doug Shattuck. “But like us, every school district in the state is experiencing budgets they can’t afford and student populations going down. Those are the two reasons needed to cut staff,” he said.
To help keep the levy increase under 2 percent, the board agreed to expend $1 million from set-aside reserves.
Only two residents in the district questioned the budget Monday, something Shattuck said he was “surprised” about. With today’s current economic constraints, and people losing their jobs, the board president said he could “almost name” the district taxpayers who attend budget meetings every year.
“I don’t see the public outcry. In a district the size of Sherburne-Earlville’s, I’m surprised that we don’t see a greater number of citizens show up with questions and concerns.”
One of the residents attending asked the board to contact the labor union that represents teachers and try to renegotiate, if not freeze, teacher salaries. Shattuck said the board attempted to do so in January, but union representatives refused to consider the concessions.
New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget plan would cut $1.6 million in state aid to S-E schools. Chenango County’s eight school districts, in total, stood to lose nearly $7.3 million.
S-E currently employs a total staff of 343, including 178 teachers, 10 administrators, and 155 non-teaching staff including cafeteria, custodial and transportation workers, teacher aides and monitors. Approximately 1,483 students are served by a three-school building campus and athletic fields.
If the budget is approved, one assistant principal will adminstrate students and programs in grades 6-12 instead of two.
The following teaching positions would be eliminated: one English Language Arts teacher; one math teacher; one social studies teacher; one science teacher; one elementary teacher; a half time physical education teacher; and three special education teachers.
A public hearing on the proposed 2011/2012 budget is scheduled at 7 p.m. on May 9th in the high school auditorium.

At least two seats up for grabs
Three seats on the seven-member school board will expire this year. The seats, all for three-year terms, are currently held by John Brown, Stephen Harris and Sue Osborne. Brown and Harris are not running for re-election, according to District Clerk Georgena Muhlfeld. Osborne could not be reached for comment. Three potential candidates have requested petitions, the clerk said. The signed documents are due back by 5 p.m. on April 19.
Superintendent Gayle Hellert said individuals interested in running still have an opportunity to pick up petitions.
District taxpayers may cast their votes for or against board members and next year’s budget from noon to 9 p.m. May 17 in the foyer of the elementary school or in the foyer of the middle/high school auditorium.