Center Street school's fate put to plebiscite

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April 5, 2012

Center Street school's fate put to plebiscite

By Mark Boshnack Staff Writer The Daily Star Thu Apr 05, 2012, 03:30 AM EDT

The fate of classes at Center Street Elementary School will be decided by Oneonta Central School District voters, following Wednesday night action by the board of education. The regular meeting was held at Greater Plains Elementary school. About 80 people attended.

The board approved two budget resolutions that will require a supermajority vote, of at least 60 percent of voters, at the May 15 public vote. It will be held noon to 9 p.m. at Foothills Performing Arts Center.

The first calls for spending $33,173,397 and a tax levy increase of 1.81 percent, which is within the state tax cap requirements. It includes the consolidation of the elementary schools, eliminating classes at Center Street and cutting 20.5 positions, an increase from an earlier plan.

The district considered closing Center Street and sending those students to other districts as a remedy to deal with a budget shortfall. Cuts to Oneonta school aid on the state level helped create a $1.4 million deficit in the district. The budget also calls for spending an additional $300,000 for district fund balance than originally planned to close the gap.

The second proposition calls for an additional 5.15 percent tax increase that would raise the $931,536 necessary to maintain classes at Center Street.

The first proposition would increase taxes in the town of Oneonta 32 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, if all factors remained the same. If both were approved the rates in the town would be $1.23 per $1,000. The rates vary in other localities. There are exemptions that can lower the totals.

Voters will also decide on a proposition for the purchase of two buses, which requires a simple majority, and election of two school-board members.

If the general budget is turned down, the elementary school proposition will not be considered. In that case the budget could be brought back on its own, requiring a simple majority.

A community group, Support Oneonta Schools, was formed to work with the district on its financial issues.

One of its organizers, Sallie Han, said she was glad voters will have a say in the issue.

She was hopeful school district voters will see the vote as an "investment in the community."

Following the business portion of the meeting, those in attendance asked questions for more than an hour about various aspects of the decision to consider closing. Most were in favor of maintaining classes there.

School Superintendent Michael Shea said that there is enough capacity in the current system to bus Center Street students to other buildings, if that is what is decided.

With declining enrollments, class sizes of about 22 should be maintained.

Shea said if voters don't approve the extra expenditures, the building could be used for other educational purposes, such as BOCES classes, which would make it possible for elementary classes to return there if the situation changed.