BOE looking at big cuts to reach contingency budget

PINE PLAINS — Based on Gov. David Paterson’s announced executive budget, the Pine Plains Central School District still needs to reduce its budget by approximately $965,000 to achieve a contingency budget, which is currently calculated at a 0 percent increase.

The latest draft of the budget, district Superintendent Linda Kaumeyer explained at the March 17 Board of Education meeting, is more than 3 percent higher than last year’s budget. The board, she reiterated, has already told the district that number is too high.

A contingency budget is dictated by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which so far has been projected at zero or below. The majority of the state’s boards of education are required by law to adopt a contingency budget if the district’s own proposed budgets are rejected twice by voters.

In an attempt to reduce the state deficit, the governor’s budget would cut state aid to Pine Plains by about 15 percent, or $1.2 million. Several weeks ago the board wrote to state Senator Vincent Leibell asking him to help the state reconsider what the school district feels are unfair methods for calculating the “wealth� of a district. Those formulas put Pine Plains at a disadvantage over other districts in the county, the letter argued.

Kaumeyer reported that Leibell responded saying that both he and state Sen. Steve Saland (who represents constituents in parts of the school district) would be looking into the matter.

“I’m not taking that to mean there’s going to be a Brinks truck pulling up to give us more money,� Kaumeyer said dryly, adding that the district would be moving forward anticipating that Pine Plains will have to deal with the entire proposed state aid shortfall.

The Pine Plains district cut $600,000 out of its budget last year, the superintendent reminded the board and audience members, and to find almost another $1 million in reductions would mean that every department and program would be affected.

Kaumeyer read off a list of areas where the money could come from, and gave rough estimates on how much cutting those areas might save the district.

Reductions revolving around the announced retirement of several teachers next year could save between $213,000 and $560,000.  Reduction of library services and non-mandated programs, like the arts and business education, could save about $190,000. Other areas mentioned, though without dollar figures attached, included eliminating the 5 p.m. bus, significant cuts to the athletic program and reductions to many or all of the school’s extra curricular activities.

The board asked Kaumeyer to return next week with more definitive numbers on all possible reductions. Still, the ever-sobering news was illustrated best by this realization: a contingency budget would still equal a 6 percent tax levy increase.

All those numbers are dependent on the governor’s proposal, which could be drastically different from the state’s actual adopted budget. But the school district is required by law to adopt a budget by the third week in April, and the state may not have passed its budget by that time.

“We’re looking for guidance from you,� Kaumeyer told the board, requesting that it provide a percentage goal for the administration to reach. “Once you tell us the numbers you want to look at, we can give you the complete details.�

The next Board of Education meeting will be held April 7. An additional budget workshop was scheduled for April 14. Both meetings are at 7 p.m. at the high school library.