POPLAR RIDGE -- The Southern Cayuga Board of Education met Tuesday night to discuss a new budget proposal for the 2008-2009 school year.
Concerned parents, taxpayers, and school employees all voiced concerns over the failed budget and the future of the school district's fiscal activities.
The prior budget proposal of $16,448,192 was defeated May 20 by a 413-378 vote. No new budget proposal was made at the Tuesday meeting, but new information was released concerning a drop in state funding.
According to Board of Education President Ted Rejman, a decrease in state funding will likely increase the next budget proposal. The board of education was notified of this change only hours before the meeting.
The school board also discussed cuts that could be made in order to slim down the new budget proposal. Board member Leonard Jordan proposed cutting the school resource officer, one of two school nurses, and a new third grade teacher.
Board member Jim Wilcox agreed with Jordan's proposed cuts stating "one nurse's office is enough."
Board of education member-elect Joe Lonsky said that staffing is the biggest expenditure. Lonsky believes that cutting back on staff in positions such as the SRO, school nurse, and new hires should put on hold for year until the economy stablilizes.
Many at the meeting did not share Lonsky's faith in the proposed cuts. Board member Michelle Dean replied that Jordan's proposal did not comply with the board of education's agenda of promoting high standards of health and wellness.
Elementary school nurse Sharon Botsford argued that cutting a nurse from the budget would be detrimental to Southern Cayuga.
"Kids have to be healthy to learn, and they have to learn to be healthy," she said.
Board member Steve Morse did not agree with the staff cuts and argued that the SRO position was a necessity.
Board president Ted Rejman was not in favor of Jordan's proposal, but suggested a $20,000 cut to the school's junior varsity sports program. Such a cut would not inhibit students from playing their sport of choice; it would only expand the varsity and modified programs.
Rejman also supported cutting the school's driver's education program. Eliminating driver's education would save the district $7,000.
Although opposed to staff cuts, Rejman sympathized with the taxpayers saying, "Its hard for me as well as everyone else to pay my taxes, but we have to do it for the kids."
Rejman, and his wife Bev, have 14 children in the district.
The prior budget proposal of $16,448,192 was defeated May 20 by a 413-378 vote. No new budget proposal was made at the Tuesday meeting, but new information was released concerning a drop in state funding.
According to Board of Education President Ted Rejman, a decrease in state funding will likely increase the next budget proposal. The board of education was notified of this change only hours before the meeting.
The school board also discussed cuts that could be made in order to slim down the new budget proposal. Board member Leonard Jordan proposed cutting the school resource officer, one of two school nurses, and a new third grade teacher.
Board member Jim Wilcox agreed with Jordan's proposed cuts stating "one nurse's office is enough."
Board of education member-elect Joe Lonsky said that staffing is the biggest expenditure. Lonsky believes that cutting back on staff in positions such as the SRO, school nurse, and new hires should put on hold for year until the economy stablilizes.
Many at the meeting did not share Lonsky's faith in the proposed cuts. Board member Michelle Dean replied that Jordan's proposal did not comply with the board of education's agenda of promoting high standards of health and wellness.
Elementary school nurse Sharon Botsford argued that cutting a nurse from the budget would be detrimental to Southern Cayuga.
"Kids have to be healthy to learn, and they have to learn to be healthy," she said.
Board member Steve Morse did not agree with the staff cuts and argued that the SRO position was a necessity.
Board president Ted Rejman was not in favor of Jordan's proposal, but suggested a $20,000 cut to the school's junior varsity sports program. Such a cut would not inhibit students from playing their sport of choice; it would only expand the varsity and modified programs.
Rejman also supported cutting the school's driver's education program. Eliminating driver's education would save the district $7,000.
Although opposed to staff cuts, Rejman sympathized with the taxpayers saying, "Its hard for me as well as everyone else to pay my taxes, but we have to do it for the kids."
Rejman, and his wife Bev, have 14 children in the district.
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thinksensibly wrote on Jun 2, 2008 11:56 AM:
Again, you've worded it perfectly, I want the schools to do their job - educate our kids with the academic fundamentals. I'll take care of the rest. " EXACTLY! I proudly consider the "rest" to be MY job as a parent... not the job of the school.
Another disappointment in today's education is that many of the teachers only teach to Albany's requirements. So long as they have met Albany's standards (which from what I can tell clearly don't make for a good education) and meet the requirements on time, they are done. Once we are done with that, we sit in class the last two weeks and watch movies.
This is in addition to snow days, holidays, superintendents days, days off for parent teachers conferences, field trips. Lets add THOSE days up... how many days are our children actually IN class.. THEN how many days they aren't watching movies, having parties, etc. THAT might very well explain the lack of education.
It seems the focus of some people is only based on acceptance levels of the highly competitive colleges and how to gain access to that. I'm talking about ANY student entering ANY college. This includes COMMUNITY college. SC should NOT be focusing on just one group of kids.
I've now heard of two Southern Cayuga graduates who "excelled" (Advanced Regents diplomas) per SC standards.... yet couldn't pass BASIC entrance exams for English/Math into Tompkins and Cayuga community colleges. So, how is it both these students had high 80's-90's throughout in both these subjects?
It also begs the question if those students who are accepted from SC into a competative college are sucessful? Are they prepared? Or has mom and dad just spent oodles of money (in addition to paying taxes) to find their child was not prepared by SC? "
a.mom wrote on May 31, 2008 9:40 AM:
Priorities are seriously skewed right now at the administrative level, and it is very frustrating to have people tell you as a parent that you have no idea of what's necessary to get into college, like we don't care about our children's well-being like they do. Well, newsflash, I'm the one who will still have a child at home in his 20's if I don't instill the skills necessary for him to succeed in this world.
I want the schools to do their job - educate our kids with the academic fundamentals. I'll take care of the rest. "
thinksensibly wrote on May 29, 2008 2:40 PM:
Yes, actually I have TWO children in the District AND pay taxes. So, your guess is wrong. Further, I would be very careful about spouting off and ticking off taxpayers and voters. It too reflects poorly on the BOE.
As that parent and taxpayer, I have been increasingly disappointed in the quality of EDUCATION. That's all great and fine that "higher institutes of education" require a well rounded record to include extracurricular activities, but if they can't read, write or do arithmatic, they aren't going to be admitted ANYWAYS. That should be the FIRST priority. Our teacers are the lowest paid in the Districts surrounding us.
So try to understand my frustration of paying taxes to people I feel are unnecessary when class time is being spent on ridiculous fieldtrips to Rochester for an IMAX theatre expedition (a playday for the teacher AND students).. or when your child is seriously injured and the school nurse, SRO and other "administration" neglect to contact the parents when there is a serious issue at school. Can anyone say INCOMPETENCE?.. NEGLIGENCE???? Or after three days of having "going away" parties in class, your child flunks a test, because they "didn't have time" to cover the material that week. If they aren't doing their job, they should be "sent packing", as you say. "
Farmer's Gal wrote on May 29, 2008 7:28 AM:
mdean wrote on May 28, 2008 8:05 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on May 28, 2008 1:41 PM:
Guidance counselors? Not an area where I like to see skimping. There's only one for the whole high school where the kids need more advice not only on choosing classes wisely, but planning for college or work and getting set up for life after high school. Maybe a shift of personnel is appropriate, but no skimping.
The school nurse has been a big help to my family on many occasions, but particularly this year, when my son has had severe health problems which kept him out of school more days than would ordinarily be allowed by the state -- he now has a doctor's excuse and a plan to help him be sure he can do enough to still pass and graduate, but without the close and caring attention of the guidance, counseling and nursing staff, that most likely would not be happening.
I hate to see sports cut, just as I hated to see the drama program cut. Those beyond-school activities are very important for the development of character and whole persons.
SRO? I dunno, maybe that could go. The kids all know when he's going to be in the building and when he's going to be gone, so they just plan their "activities" around his schedule. Don't know how effective he is given that fact.
But don't even consider cutting Driver's Ed. Auburn did and the results is a pool of really awful drivers in the Auburn area. That's one about which I feel very strongly.
Everything costs more, and that includes a quality education. Cut too much and you get what you pay for. "
thinksensibly wrote on May 28, 2008 11:21 AM:
In my dealings with the school, it seems there are several other positions that could easily be done away with, as I personally don't know what they do to fill a work day. I don't mean to pick on any person.. just that the positions seem unnecessary. Do we really need a middle school guidance counselor? Do we need three music teachers? Do we need a technology coordinator AND a tech teacher? What are all these staff members doing?
Again, these are positions that traditionally did not exist, but now do, in an economy that truly doesn't allow for frivilous positions. Yet, we want to talk about cutting our Junior Varsity sports program? We can't afford textbooks for each student?
In my opinion, it would behoove us to "go back to the basics". The emphasis being on Math, English, Science and Social Studies. Art, music... these are electives, and yes, part of a well-rounded education, but hardly necessity when we have graduates unable to write a sentence that is gramatically correct and legible. Or.. the graduate who can't count change back to a customer. THOSE traits reflect very poorly on our school district.
Southern Cayuga need good, qualified teachers and pay them decently. Teachers who care, teachers who want to TEACH.. not "teach" by using their class time to have parties for this or that reason, or "teach" by showing movies that kids see on tv. We need the sports to keep our kids in "good" activities. With any luck between sports and health classes, students are being taught through those venues to stay healthy.. not by a school nurse.
Southern Cayuga has a planetarium and a swimming pool.. two resources few schools have. In short, Southern Cayuga has a large variety of extracurricular activities for the students to choose from.
It seems one costly cut in sports (rather than the SC JV teams) that could easily be made is the sports program with Union Springs. How much does that cost the taxpayers for gas and a driver? "