Scotia-Glenville facing shortfall School budget squeezed from both sides By MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GLENVILLE - Faced with a $1 million loss in state aid and a $2.7 million increase in district expenses, Scotia-Glenville school officials are hoping to develop a 2003-04 budget that does not drastically raise taxes or significantly cut programs and services. "I don't think any of us like the situation we're in," said Board of Education member Margaret Smith. The district must develop a budget by April 14 and put it out to vote on May 20. Board members will spend the next eight weeks reviewing spending proposals. They got a glimpse of the challenge they face Monday night when school Superintendent Michael Marcelle presented a worst-case budget scenario. To cover the 8.1 percent spending increase and loss of state aid in the $36.3 million budget, the district would have to raise taxes between 13 percent and almost 20 percent. Under Gov. George Pataki's proposed budget, the Scotia-Glenville district will receive $13.3 million in state aid in 2003-04 This is $1 million less than what it received in 2002-03, and means the state has reduced its portion of the district's total budget from 42.8 percent to 37 percent. "The burden has shifted back to taxpayers," Marcelle said. This budget, he said, is basically a carry-through of the current budget, adjusted to include a $1.35 million increase in instructional salaries, a $902,198 increase in employee benefits, a $206,716 increase for central service expenses, a $98,754 increase in debt service and slight increases in other categories. It includes the addition of 3.5 positions to meet mandated special education and high school graduation requirements, Marcelle said. "This budget is unacceptable. We know that and we know this is the place where we will start. We will come up with a format that is acceptable to our residents," he said. He plans to present a second worst-case scenario on March 3. This one will show the effect on the district if it were to adopt a contingency budget. A district must adopt a contingency budget, which limits spending to a 1.9 percent increase above the current budget, after two unsuccessful votes. In Scotia-Glenville's case, a contingency budget would allow the current $33.6 million budget to increase by only $590,000. "We would have to cut $2.1 million to reach a contingency budget, and this is unacceptable as well," Marcelle said. Even this budget would require a tax increase of between 3 percent and 9 percent, board member Kurt Ahnert said. In developing the 2003-04 budget, the district will have to consider "what we have now, what do we need and what can we live without," Marcelle said. Board members reacted with concern to Marcelle's presentations, especially to the contingency budget proposal. Discussing a contingency budget's effect "sends a really strong message we're facing some tough times and we need the public's input more now that ever," Smith said. Board member Karen Bradley said the situation at the state level "is scary. There is no money" for education. Board member Benjamin Conlon said the board needs to take this concern one step further. "There is no money this year and next year," he said. He said district residents may tell the board that even a contingency budget with a 9 percent tax increase is "too much to bear." Board member John Carpenter said "it's way too early to panic. We're going to have to really sharpen our pencils this year to offset the additions we need without making drastic cuts." Left unknown is how much of the fund balance the district will apply to the budget. Marcelle said the district hasn't closed its books for the current year yet. The Board of Education will review the budget every Monday in March. The formal budget hearing will be held on May 7 at 7 p.m. at the Middle School. That hearing will be followed by the PTA Council's Meet the Candidates' Night.