School districts expected to do more with less
– for a fourth year running
Aid projections show minimal increases
as mandates continue to crush schools
As schools brace for the restrictions of a
property tax levy cap, the unknowns of a statewide teacher
evaluation system and the need to merge Common Core standards into
daily classroom instruction, the state has once again told schools
to do more with less.
School aid has been static or declining for four years.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal on Jan. 17 proposed an
$805 million increase in education aid for the coming 2012-13
school year. One third of the increase will be for competitive
grants, one-third for school reimbursements and most of the rest
is targeted to high-needs (typically urban and rural) schools.
Scotia-Glenville, according to projections, is slated to receive a
net additional $130,477 or 0.83 percent in state aid, including a
lower-than-expected reimbursement for building costs.
The budget proposal continues to include a “gap elimination
adjustment” (GEA) for every school district. Every district must
pay the GEA “contribution” to reduce the state’s deficit.
Scotia-Glenville is required to return $3.117 million to the state
from its expected state aid in 2012-13 to pay the GEA.
Last year, when Cuomo proposed millions in state aid cuts and the
property tax levy cap, state legislators and the governor promised
to lift some school mandates that drive up costs. Educators are
still waiting for meaningful mandate relief.
“These are difficult times for everybody – for our community, for
our parents, for our businesses and for the state,” said
Superintendent Susan Swartz. “However, schools have been placed in
a squeeze between the property tax levy and state aid caps on one
side and rising costs and the need to provide programs for our
students on the other side.”
While everyone understands the difficult economy, “schools and
education are an investment in our futures. I can’t believe that
the state is willing to throw that away,” added Swartz.
Keeping the lid on taxes, spending
Swartz, who will detail her 2012-13 budget proposal in late
February, said the next school year doesn’t look much better than
the past several school budgets.
Since the 2006-07 budget, the Scotia-Glenville school tax rate has
risen from $19.21 per $1,000 assessed value that year to the
current $20.39 per $1,000. That is a 6.1 percent increase over six
years or an average of 1.02 percent per year.
Scotia-Glenville’s diligence has come as the state has frozen or
reduced state aid to schools while health care and pension costs
for its nearly 500 employees have risen steadily.
The school district’s 2006-07 budget stood at $42.01 million; this
year’s budget totals $47.08 million. That is a spending increase
of 12.1 percent over six years or an average of 2.02 percent per
year.
As the economy bottomed out over the past few years,
Scotia-Glenville has responded:
▪ In
the 2009-10 S-G budget, state aid was frozen, $1.3 million in
proposed expenses and 5.2 full-time positions were cut.
▪ In 2010-11, state aid was cut by
$2.3 million. Proposed spending was cut by $2 million and 19.7
positions eliminated.
▪ In the current 2011-12 budget,
budget-to-budget spending was reduced by nearly $250,000 as state
aid was cut by $1.27 million – $473 for every Scotia-Glenville
student.
Principal positions at Glen-Worden and Lincoln were filled
temporarily; one out of two OPAL gifted education positions, a
full-time teacher aide, part-time float nurse and teaching
assistant jobs were eliminated; field trips and grade 6 Young
Scholars were eliminated; and buildings and grounds and equipment
budgets were sliced.
