After a tumultuous budget year, the Elmira Heights Central School District is facing a new set of challenges. Several jobs could be on the line if voters don’t approve the revised budget Tuesday night. The initial plan, which called for a 6.9 percent tax hike, did not get the super majority it needed to pass. The school board is back to the drawing board and has proposed bringing that tax levy down to 5.4 percent. The original tax cap would have brought in about $483,000. Now the district is proposing several additional money saving measures to make up for the difference. Those include eliminating a vacant English Language Arts position, which would save about $83,000 a year, and eliminating field trips. That would save about $5,600 a year. On top of that, district officials have proposed dipping into reserves for an additional $20,000.
Both the superintendent and president of the teachers association say the public’s support is critical. Without it, at least 11 positions are at stake. The board will meet next Monday to adopt the budget, which will be voted on June 18th.
