POPLAR RIDGE - The Southern Cayuga Board of Education will have to meet again to reach an agreement on a new budget proposal for 2008-2009.
Concerned parents, taxpayers, and school employees all voiced concerns at a meeting Tuesday over the budget rejected by voters last week.
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. Board of Education President Ted Rejman said 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 board will meet again Monday to try to reach an agreement on a new budget proposal.
On Tuesday, the school board 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 help until the economy stabilizes.
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, “It's hard for me as well as everyone else to pay my taxes, but we have to do it for the kids.”
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. Board of Education President Ted Rejman said 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 board will meet again Monday to try to reach an agreement on a new budget proposal.
On Tuesday, the school board 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 help until the economy stabilizes.
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, “It's hard for me as well as everyone else to pay my taxes, but we have to do it for the kids.”
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Post your comment - click hereThere are 11 comment(s)
SCVoter wrote on May 30, 2008 9:28 AM:
mdean wrote on May 29, 2008 12:31 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on May 29, 2008 7:29 AM:
a.mom wrote on May 28, 2008 11:30 PM:
Unfortunately, this is the position the district is now facing. I watch empty school buses drive by my house or along any of the local roads and can't believe that we still have two bus runs. I'm told it's because no one wants to make the drivers part time and therefore ineligible for benefits. I'm sorry, but how does that help my children's education?
Southern Cayuga is filled with wonderful families that contribute a great deal to the local schools. I'm certain there are a great number of volunteers to help fill any void a budget reduction creates. Moreover, when I think of the rest of the world and the learning conditions children are often confronted with, I question how any of us can cry "but it's for the children."
We can whine about not having enough money, or we can start finding creative ways to deal with the shortfall. The truth is that the current economic climate does not give us the luxury to avoid those hard decisions any longer. The sooner the BOE recognizes this, the better. "
ljohnmiller wrote on May 28, 2008 9:02 PM:
Farmer's Gal wrote on May 28, 2008 5:24 PM:
Some of those things make sense -- a Technology Coordinator sounds like the person who is in charge of making everything work, which is a very different kind of work from a Technology Teacher -- doing network and computer repair are not anything like teaching,yet both are very important needs.
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. "
mdean wrote on May 28, 2008 4:33 PM:
paf7258 wrote on May 28, 2008 4:17 PM:
mdean wrote on May 28, 2008 2:41 PM:
teacher1 wrote on May 28, 2008 1:24 PM:
gdp2727 wrote on May 28, 2008 12:32 PM: