Dear Editor:
Much has been said and written by residents about this year’s OA school budget and Board of Education. We would like to take this opportunity to clarify our positions and to correct some misinformation that has been circulating in the community. This is especially important considering the vote on the revised budget on June 21.
- Academic and extra-curricular programs: We are committed to providing all students with instruction and opportunities that enable them to reach their individual potentials and to compete successfully in today’s educational and working world. Some of these important programs include Cisco Academy, A+ Certification, a pre-engineering program, Dual-Credit college-level courses and Advanced Placement, as well as outstanding art and music programs. All of these are fitting for a long-time leader in technology like Owego with its IBM and Lockheed base. 88% of OA students graduate in four years and 85% of our graduates go on the college, a testimony that OA is not a “country club,” but is preparing students for the future economy. To maintain our quality programs in these challenging times, we are making cuts as needed across the board, working to reduce but not eliminate programs.
- Tax Levy: Despite the funding cuts we face from Albany and Washington, and the increases that result from numerous unfunded mandates (services we are required to provide even though funding is not provided to us by the requiring agencies), we have worked to keep local tax assessments as predictable, as even and as low as possible without negatively affecting student learning. Last year the budget increase was 0% and this year the budget has been reduced by 1.75% or more than $2,500,000. At 1.5% the tax levy increase – which has been below 2% for past 4 years – is currently among the lowest in the region and increases the annual tax on a $100,000 property value by $28.78.
- Use of Reserves and Fund Balance – We have been making very careful use of our reserves and fund balance to offset state aid cuts and tax increases both last year and this year. However, our projections indicate that we will have to continue this balancing act for next three years and we are concerned that we will exhaust the reserves and fund balance in 2 ½ years. Like any family or business whose expenses continue to rise while its income declines, we are working to stay afloat as long as we can by controlling our expenses while carefully drawing down our savings.
- Staffing: Since any school is people-centered, costs related to employees are the heart of any budget. In our efforts to control these costs, every contract settled over the past five years has included major increases in staff contributions to health insurance costs, and the current teachers’ contract freezes all pay except base salary for five years. We have eliminated 46 positions for next year and reduced overall staff by 10%, and expect that that trend will need to continue. However, if we are to provide a quality education to our students, we must attract, hire and retain quality staff. We can do this only if we are competitive with area schools in salary and benefits, and if we provide opportunities for our staff to grow and lead within our school community. We plan to continue toward these goals to the extent that we are able.
- Administration: While we do not believe we are overstaffed in this area, we are listening to our constituency. Our long range plan has resulted in position cuts, use of shared services and job consolidations in the recent past. For example, we have cut several administrative positions by sharing services through the BOCES Central Business Office (and getting BOCES aid back against those costs). We have one administrator for each function, no assistants to the assistants, and our Associate Superintendent is doing three jobs (Human Resource, Curriculum and Instruction, and Professional Development). The net result is that we have fewer administrators than 5 to 10 years ago. This year we have cut $300,000 from administrative costs despite the addition of administrative responsibilities in the areas of teacher evaluation and student testing requirements from Albany. While there is hope for some mandate relief from the state, at present we must plan for what is known and make the best use of our strong leadership team.
- Community Support and Use of School Facilities: We believe that our taxpayers have already paid for our facilities and that the heart of our community is our schools. Many of our after-school and special activities are not paid for by taxpayers through our budget, but rather are supported voluntarily by PTOs, Booster Clubs, individual class or club sales, and parents. Community generosity has supported class trips, the Chem-Free Prom, Dollars for Scholars, and the OA Foundation for Excellence, to name a few. Therefore we believe that community groups and individuals should have open access to our school facilities and events as much as possible.
We on the Board of Education, as elected representatives of our community, are bound by law to provide a quality education to all students in a fiscally responsible manner. We have worked hard to balance these commitments and to form both short and long range plans that support a strong public school system and are sensitive to taxpayers. We ask that the voters consider the FACTS presented here as they go to the polls on Tuesday, June 21.
Sincerely,
Owego Apalachin Board of Education
David Barton, President
Gene Cvik, Vice President
Becky Goodrich
John Crosby
Lee Dunham
Linda Frisbie
John Gatto
