Budget options presented to Springville-GI District show cuts across the board

The Springville-Griffith Institute Board of Education meeting on Jan. 17 was filled with solemn faces as Superintendent of Schools Paul Connelly and Business Administrator Ted Welch presented three budget choices, all of which came with some sobering statistics.

“I’m looking at a three-year budget process. We need to do what we can do to make class size adjustments in line with our neighboring districts,” Connelly said, as he rolled out the budget presentation. “The bottom line is, you can’t cap revenue if you don’t cap expenditures. Pensions and insurance will decimate school districts throughout New York state over the next few years and we’re going to do whatever we can to keep things going this year.”

Connelly explained that the S-GI tax levy cap comes in at 2.39 percent with exclusions, which are determined by an eight-step process. That works out to $339,332. The district lost $869,000 in federal job funds this year, despite projected flat state aid, 3 percent increase in salaries, 5 percent increase in utilities, 12.5 percent increase in teachers’ retirement, 17.5 percent increase in employee retirement, 11.9 percent increase in health insurance and a possible 2 percent increase in additional categories. Under new laws, the district can also retain no more than a 4 percent fund balance for the next budget year.

According to projected revenue and expenditures, Connelly presented a graph that showed an almost $3 million gap to fill this year, a $4 million gap next year and a $5 million gap in 2014-2015.

“We know the problem is not going away this year,” Connelly said. “We expect to have to approach budgeting this way for at least two more years.”

In order to maintain the status quo, the district would have to impose a 20.4 percent tax levy increase, which would still create a deficit of nearly $3 million. That increased tax levy would require a supermajority vote of 60 percent to pass, as would any increase more than the legally-required 2 percent.

Connelly and Welch presented three budget plans: Plan A, Plan B and Plan C. Plan A would increase the levy to 4.91 percent, which would still require a supermajority vote, and would still create a $259,540 deficit in the budget. It would require the district to cut 34.4 full-time positions. Plan B would create a $473,689 surplus and would require 44.7 FTP reductions and Plan C would create a $1,147,671 surplus, but would cut 57 FTP’s.

“Whoever’s at the microphone during these public meetings does not always represent the equity in the community,” Connelly said. “The decisions we’ve got to make are not fair. They’re not going to be fair. Never. Very difficult decisions are going to have to be made.”

He added that his and the administrative team’s mission, in drawing up the presentation, was to create vertical and horizontal alignment across programs, seeking to make sure the programming offered at all sites was equal and to minimize duplication of services. Each of the plans increases class size to varying degrees.

“Frankly, the amount of instructional support we offer is off the charts compared to eight scholastic districts analyzed,” Connelly said. “Our offerings are very, very generous. These are going to be very doable class sizes, folks.”

Plan A, the plan which Connelly said he prefers, would increase class size at Colden Elementary in the fifth grade from 18 - 27 and reduce the offerings of library, art and music. At Springville Middle School, Plan A would increase first through fourth grades from 16 - 17 to 20 - 24 and reduce art, music and library classes and the number of teaching assistants. At the middle school, plan A would increase class sizes in seventh and eighth grade science from 24-27 and seventh and eighth grade social studies from 23-27. Library services would be reduced and students would be charged additional fees for home and careers and technology classes.

In the high school, the school day schedule would be reduced from nine academic periods to eight and the Freshman Academy would be eliminated, as would several electives in the areas of art, English, business, math, music, science, technology and social studies. Advanced Placement English, government, environmental science, economics and honors chemistry and English would also be eliminated. Class sizes across the board would be increased from 19-21 to 24-27. Equipment and supply reductions would also be instituted, as would the reduction of one varsity football coach, fewer chaperones and an extension of the uniform and equipment replacement schedule.

“Plan A is the very best we could come up with, and it’s still short. This is very, very difficult to do,” Connelly said, as he presented the plan.

Welch explained Plan B, which would include all of the cuts delineated in Plan A, except it would cut one teaching assistant from Colden, eliminate fourth grade band and orchestra and increase the second grade class from 13-27 students. At SES, Plan B would also eliminate more teaching assistants and band and orchestra in fourth grade and increase the fifth grade class size from 21 - 26. At SMS, seventh grade French would be eliminated, and at the high school, some French classes would be integrated with the middle school and Spanish 4 and 5 would be eliminated. In addition, the special education caseload would increase, BOCES support would decrease and technology equipment and supplies would be reduced. All modified sports would also be eliminated and non-league games would be reduced.

In Plan C, which Connelly called “the most drastic,” all cuts in Plans A and B would be instituted, as well as the elimination of more teaching assistants, equipment and supplies from both elementary schools as well as band and orchestra at all elementary levels. At the middle school, no equipment would be purchased, French, sixth grade health and sixth and seventh grade computer classes would end, along with an increase in class sizes, an increase in the number of students in group music lessons and a reduction in the number of group lessons. At the high school, all art classes except studio art, all technology all language classes except Spanish 1-3 would be discontinued. In addition, varsity wrestling, lacrosse and bowling would be eliminated.

“All of our numbers are subject to change,” Welch cautioned. “I guarantee the final product will change. These are real numbers we’re dealing with here. Our future budgets are based on projections, and we still have variables out there.”

The board members had a chance to respond to the budget after the presentation, and Board Member Jeremiah Kane said he was a strong supporter of increasing the tax levy as necessary.

“I’ve been a consistent voice on this board that we need to cut back. I’m not going to be a bag man for ‘governor 1 percent’ because he won’t give us a single line item of mandated relief,” Kane said. “I would like to consider putting us above the tax cap. My priorities will change when our circumstances change, but right now, I’d advocate going beyond 4.9 percent; whatever the voters will allow us to do.”

Board Member Jon Einarsson added that he saw “30-some positions cut even in Plan A; are some adjusting to right size? Can we provide a decent level of services with less people?”

Connelly assured him that Plan A is “essentially right-sizing.”

“Over the years, there has been a complete disregard for the cost of education, and that’s what we’re paying for now,” said Board Member Stephen Schunk.

Kane responded that he wanted to see the possibility for adding necessary programs left open. “My concern is that we’re still cutting services and there are things we still need to add to the budget. If we need to right-size, let’s do it, but let’s also do what we can to provide a quality education,” he said.

Board President Mel Williams commended the administrative team for its decision-making. “It must be hard to have to give recommendations on your own employees, people you work with every day, people who you know may have a baby on the way or may have just built a new house,” he said.

Julie Francisco, a parent from Springville, spoke about the importance of providing a quality education.

“Most of our efforts should be in education, not in extracurriculars. We always talked about keeping extracurriculars, but we have a lot available in the community. It seems like there must be something in between A and B,” she said.

Connelly responded that the board would begin to look at the possibility of striking a happy medium between Plan A and B.

David Yates, president of the teacher’s union represented at S-GI, extended an invitation to board members to see firsthand what the proposed cuts would mean in the classroom.

The full budget presentation, complete with more details about what would be cut and retained under each budget plan, can be found online at www.springvillegi.org.

In light of the difficulty placed on school districts by the tax cap levy and lack of mandated relief from both state and federal governments, Board Member Joan Kelly urged citizens to contact their legislators and senators to express their dissatisfaction with the lack of equity in state aid to public education.

Connelly said a new “advocacy button” on the S-GI website makes it easier for residents to do just that.

“We need everybody to wake up and act. Don’t wait for somebody else to do it,” Connelly said. “Our leaders have to hear loud and clear what we need to do to preserve the institute of public education in New York state.”

The next board meeting will take place on Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. at the high school library and media center.