District hopes to avoid job cuts Scotia-Glenville officials face prospect of trimming 30 positions By MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SCOTIA - The Scotia-Glenville school superintendent met with union leaders Tuesday to find ways to save money and avoid having to cut 30 positions, should the district adopt a contingency budget for 2003-04. "I'm asking them to go back to the bargaining units and find ways to save money," Superintendent Michael Marcelle said. He plans to make the same presentation to the entire instructional staff next week. "We're putting our heads together to come up with the best budget we can for the district," he said. He said the discussions are important because the district is "facing the elimination of dozens of jobs and programs that benefit our children and grandchildren. We will be turning back the clock in many ways." The Board of Education would have to adopt a contingency budget should district residents twice reject the proposed budget. The budget vote is May 20. There is fear this would happen, school officials said. The district's proposed $36.3 million budget for 2003-04 carries a spending increase of $2.7 million, or 8.1 percent. It also projects a $1 million loss in state aid under the governor's proposed budget. Under this budget, taxes would increase between 18 percent and 20 percent, the highest spike in more than 20 years. "The school board knows this would never pass," said Robert Hanlon, district spokesman. "Our average tax increase has been 2.8 percent since 1998," he said. A contingency budget would raise taxes between 3 percent and 8 percent. Marcelle said the district's goal is to come up with something in the middle "that our community can live with." Under a contingency budget, district spending is limited to 1.9 percent more than the current year's budget. In Scotia-Glenville's case, that limit would be $582,663. To reach the limit, the district would have to cut $2.1 million from the proposed budget. Marcelle said this would mean the loss of 20 teachers, teaching assistants and media specialists in grades K-12 and 10 non-instructional positions. It also means larger class sizes, the loss of academic programs, the end of intramural, modified and junior varsity sports, the elimination of after-school programs, the fitness center supervisor, club advisers, field trips, late buses, and reductions in supplies and equipment. The board will host three community forums in March as it develops the budget. "The board and school administrators will be making difficult choices in the coming weeks. Before we consider those choices, we need to hear from the community," Marcelle said. Community budget forums will be held at 7 p.m., Monday at the Middle School; 7 p.m. March 17 at the Middle School; and 7 p.m. March 24 at the Middle School. There will also be an overview of the budget as part of the preliminary budget hearing at 7 p.m. March 31, also at the Middle School.