MERIDIAN - The infusion of money from the federal stimulus package prevented major budgetary issues for the Cato-Meridian Central School District this year, but one taxpayer is nervous about what will happen when those funds dry up.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Augie Smith, of Cato, asks the Cato-Meridian School Board what the plan is for the school budget once the stimulus package money runs out in two years, at a budget meeting at the middle school on Tuesday.
Augie Smith, of Cato, asks the Cato-Meridian School Board what the plan is for the school budget once the stimulus package money runs out in two years, at a budget meeting at the middle school on Tuesday.
“When the stimulus funds end in two years,” Augie Smith, of Cato, asked administrators during a budget hearing Tuesday, “will you ask the taxpayers to make up the difference?”
Smith and nearly 50 other people attended the budget hearing Tuesday in the middle school auditorium. The district is putting up for voter approval a proposed 2009-10 budget of $18,682,142, which is 2.31 percent higher than last year and carries an estimated tax levy increase of 2.9 percent.
Smith asked if in two years time, district taxpayers will see a 10 percent increase to the tax levy to offset the loss of the federal funds.
“That's a very good question,” responded Assistant Superintendent for Business Crosby Lamont. He said the financial health of the district will depend on the state's action with foundation aid, if it will remain frozen during the 2011-12 year. If that is done, he said, Cato-Meridian will be in a “difficult situation” as it will have to deal with contractual increases compounded by reduced aid.
“Where we've positioned ourselves in the last few years is to build up our reserves, fund balance, so we can withstand some of those rough waters in the ensuing years,” he said. Currently, the district has $1.6 million in reserves and it is estimating that it will have $1.8 by the end of 2010.
“How long can we do that is problematic, with the amount of money we have in our funds,” he said.
Though only a handful of people asked questions of administrators, all dealt with possible cost saving measures in what is now tough economic times. Debbie Titus, of Cato, asked about the possibility of consolidating schools - schools within the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES were just awarded a $45,000 grant to study the feasibility of consolidating some behind-the-scenes services.
Jody Dennison, of Cato, asked about establishing a localized bus stop rather than door-to-door service to save on diesel and wear and tear on buses.
Arnold Palmer, of Meridian, offered indignation for teachers' contracts, the contractual raises and job security they receive. Superintendent Deborah Bobo and Lamont both said that school districts have to work within the system, right or wrong, and unions are powerful within the state. Arbitration is expensive, they said, and they want to avoid doing it. But with that said, Bobo said in her six-year tenure as superintendent, the district went to arbitration three times with judgments all in the district's favor.
Bobo added that the district has engaged in cost-saving measures this year by eliminating the activity bus, the school resource officer, the middle school intern principal, two teacher assistants or aids through attrition and delivering to special education students services in-house rather than going through BOCES. That, coupled with reductions in sports, conferences, equipment, supplies, materials and field trips, the district saved $339,000.
“We're offering a budget that maintains programs and services,” she said, “that provides quality education for all our students.”
The budget vote is slated for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 19 in the middle school foyer, Route 370, Meridian.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
Smith and nearly 50 other people attended the budget hearing Tuesday in the middle school auditorium. The district is putting up for voter approval a proposed 2009-10 budget of $18,682,142, which is 2.31 percent higher than last year and carries an estimated tax levy increase of 2.9 percent.
Smith asked if in two years time, district taxpayers will see a 10 percent increase to the tax levy to offset the loss of the federal funds.
“That's a very good question,” responded Assistant Superintendent for Business Crosby Lamont. He said the financial health of the district will depend on the state's action with foundation aid, if it will remain frozen during the 2011-12 year. If that is done, he said, Cato-Meridian will be in a “difficult situation” as it will have to deal with contractual increases compounded by reduced aid.
“Where we've positioned ourselves in the last few years is to build up our reserves, fund balance, so we can withstand some of those rough waters in the ensuing years,” he said. Currently, the district has $1.6 million in reserves and it is estimating that it will have $1.8 by the end of 2010.
“How long can we do that is problematic, with the amount of money we have in our funds,” he said.
Though only a handful of people asked questions of administrators, all dealt with possible cost saving measures in what is now tough economic times. Debbie Titus, of Cato, asked about the possibility of consolidating schools - schools within the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES were just awarded a $45,000 grant to study the feasibility of consolidating some behind-the-scenes services.
Jody Dennison, of Cato, asked about establishing a localized bus stop rather than door-to-door service to save on diesel and wear and tear on buses.
Arnold Palmer, of Meridian, offered indignation for teachers' contracts, the contractual raises and job security they receive. Superintendent Deborah Bobo and Lamont both said that school districts have to work within the system, right or wrong, and unions are powerful within the state. Arbitration is expensive, they said, and they want to avoid doing it. But with that said, Bobo said in her six-year tenure as superintendent, the district went to arbitration three times with judgments all in the district's favor.
Bobo added that the district has engaged in cost-saving measures this year by eliminating the activity bus, the school resource officer, the middle school intern principal, two teacher assistants or aids through attrition and delivering to special education students services in-house rather than going through BOCES. That, coupled with reductions in sports, conferences, equipment, supplies, materials and field trips, the district saved $339,000.
“We're offering a budget that maintains programs and services,” she said, “that provides quality education for all our students.”
The budget vote is slated for 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. May 19 in the middle school foyer, Route 370, Meridian.
Staff writer Alyssa Sunkin can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 239 or alyssa.sunkin@lee.net
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cryinryan wrote on May 6, 2009 10:13 AM:
The better answer is...for those of you that can, move to a tax friendly state like North & South Carolina, or Florida. Many of you are doing that already anyway. "