By Mark Boshnack
Staff Reporter
ONEONTA _ Fourteen staffing cuts were proposed in Wednesday's preliminary budget presentation for the Oneonta City School District.
During the regular meeting, held at Riverside Elementary School, budget manager Lisa Weeks outlined the cuts that were needed to deal with what could be a $1.6 million reduction in state aid for next school year. The decrease in staffing includes seven retirements, cuts to three elementary teachers, and one each in music, guidance and special education, she said. There is also one planned leave of absence in the proposal. A librarian will be added to fill a vacancy that occurred in the current school year, she said.
Declining enrollment at the school allows the district to condense with a minimal impact, Superintendent Michael Shea said. It was too early in the process to say what actual positions will be affected, he said. There will be an increase in some class sizes as a result of the changes, he said.
The current proposal would result in a $375,404 decrease in spending, when compared to the 2009-10 budget, to $34,147,649, Weeks said. The resulting tax levy would increase 6.46-percent to $1,135,420, but that will be reduced before a budget is presented to voters on May 18, she said.
It will represent a balance between the needs of the taxpayers, students and educators, she said.
With the cuts proposed, salaries will decrease by $447,861, she said. Other decreases include Board of Cooperative Education costs of about $52,000, utilities costs of about $26,190 and health insurance rates and benefits will decline by $282,000, she said.
Expenses that will increase include contractual salary costs of more than $700,000 and retirement costs of $382,000, she said.
The proposal reviewed at the last board meeting in February called for spending of $34.6 million and a 9.13-percent tax levy increase.
Weeks said the board and administrators were still looking for approximately $600,000 in additional spending cuts or revenues, that will be needed to reach a target tax levy increase of about 3 percent.
More detailed information on the budget is available at www.oneontacsd.org.
