Owego-Apalachin Budget Proposal Calls For Loss Of 25 Positions

The current Owego-Apalachin School District’s budget proposal would call for 25 positions being cut through a mix of layoffs and retirements. The proposal has not been finalized at this time, but it does call for a foreign-language teacher being cut from the 7-12 grade levels. Thirteen Owego Free Academy students attended a budget workshop on Thursday to plead their case against cutting a foreign language teacher, a cut that would likely lead to larger class sizes. The 25 layoffs are part of the district’s plan to alleviate a $2.2 million structural deficit. Superintendent Dr. Bill Russell presented a draft of the most recent budget to the school board at its meeting last week. At that time the district was expecting to receive $15.1 million in state aid, including building aid, but the final numbers have the district expecting to receive closer to $15.6 million in aid. Other positions facing cuts would be elementary teaching assistants at both the Owego and Apalachin schools. The current budget is set at $42.2 million. The board has a meeting scheduled for April 10th to approve a budget that will be presented to residents for a May 20th vote.