WEST ELLICOTT - Despite the pleas of parents and teachers alike to reconsider proposed cuts to faculty, the Southwestern School Board's 2010-11 budget has several cuts so far.
As it stands today, the school district will eliminate four middle school teachers and the citizens will see a property tax increase of 3.38 percent, or 66 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
"This year expenditures are up and revenues are down $1 million," said Dan George, district superintendent.
"We're facing a budget gap and shortfall like I've never seen," George continued. "Every district needs a balanced budget and for us to get there, some tough cuts had to be made."
The school board moved to cut four middle school teachers - a math teacher, a science teacher, an English teacher and a social studies teacher. The total savings for these four positions when considering salary and benefits is $247,945, according to George.
There will also be a cut of $5,702 to athletic supplies, mainly uniforms; $1,052 in contractual expenses, mainly paying referees for the district's sports games and a reduction of $4,672 for a cleaning position in which the new hire will start at a lower wage than the worker retiring.
The total cuts were listed as $491,551, which is $7,690 more than what was projected to be needed to close the gap. The board decided to use the additional money to decrease the property tax levy's projected increase of $400,000 to $392,310.
The board, as pushed by board member Carl Scarpino, scrutinized the groundskeeping budget and moved to make three additional cuts. Among them were a 2010 Ford 1,000-ton truck ($,29,000) an overseeding machine ($15,000) used to spread increased grass seed on the sports field and a rototiller, the value for which wasn't immediately available Tuesday evening.
Board members have also decided to use $275,000, or 25 percent, of the reserves from the insurance and liability funds. George said without that borrowing, there will have to be additional cuts.
Scarpino, one of the board's most vocal members, also questioned a number of budget line items, "looking to save every penny" as he put it.
He questioned a new part-time cleaning person dedicated to the swimming pool area of the elementary school at a cost of $9,033. Scarpino asked if there was a way to allocate other personnel to that area and the superintendent said the position was created because there were "a number of community complaints" about the locker room and swimming pool not being cleaned to people's standards. The position stands as a new addition, along with a technology teacher which is partly supported by BOCES and a new teaching aide.
The board also approved the purchase of three 2010 school buses, although the motion was voted against by board members Scarpino and John Siggins.
