Sachem Bucks Trend with Limited Cuts

Editor's note: This story is part of a nationwide Patch series probing the economy's effect on local schools.

Cuts. The Sachem Central School District doesn't prescribe to the addition of the word "cuts" in its daily working vernacular.

While school districts across Long Island are forced with daunting budget deficiencies, Sachem has managed to keep the budget at a zero percent increase three of the last four years and 1.09 for the 2010-11 school year.

Note that it's technically a 2.38 percent increase thanks to $3.5 million in repairs to the roof at Sachem High School East after it was voted on last year. Three-quarters of the repairs, however, will be paid for by state aide.

The 2010-11 $280 million budget was approved by the community and a limited amount of cuts were made: one coordinator assistant, two education coaches, 10 teacher positions were not replaced after the people retired and there was a reduction in hours for security. The security cuts amounted to $167,000, bringing the total of building security from $937,000 in 2009-10 to $770,000 in 2010-11.

Sachem did not cut a single educational program and the curriculum remained intact. Since teachers were not cut and enrollment did not move, class sizes also remain the same.

With a slight increase in taxes, district officials figured there would be some angst from tax payers, regardless of keeping increases at a null for three consecutive years.

"You're only as good as your last at bat," Sachem Superintendent James Nolan said.

Bruce Singer, Sachem's Assistant Superintendent for Business, and his team, are tasked with balancing the budget while keeping the students in mind at all times.

"I don't think anyone wants to pay more taxes," he said. "Being sensitive about the programs offered to kids versus what tax payers are paying, Sachem, compared to surrounding districts, offers a good value for the dollar."

Before Sachem was centralized and formed into a school district in 1955, there was the Holbrook School District. Singer, citing how tax payers have always been concerned with fiscal increases, brought out the minutes from a meeting when a local farmer complained about a 25 cent increase in taxes.

"Nothing's changed," he said. "The farmer argued about selling more potatoes to make up for the 25 cents."

One uncertainty with school budgets on Long Island, or anywhere in New York, is the amount of money in state aide that will be provided. In 2009-10 Sachem received $115,283,629. On the proposed budget for 2010-11, the district listed $112,580,878. The problem is not knowing how much it will officially be granted and when.

"Uncertainty with the state gives us greater uncertainty," Singer said. "We are so dependable on that money. It's such a big portion of our budget and we're still not sure what we're getting this year."

What's also going to be an eye-opener is the lack of funding from President Barack Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 after this year. Sachem received $20 million in federal money over the past two years.

"That has been the main source of additional revenue to fund our operations," he said. "Not additional taxes."

This week more news was made when New York received over $700 million in federal funding from the Race to the Top program. Meant to help inner city or underprivileged school districts, the $89,000 Sachem received will not make a dent on its fiscal plans for 2010-11.

"I'm not sure money alone is going to fix the problems," Nolan said of the funding meant to stir better educational success in desperately hurting areas of America. "It's the system. In certain school systems, people don't want to do the work. We're lucky to have some great teachers who want to be here."

Also last week, Sachem received an AA+ rating from Standard & Poor's Rating Services, ranking the district in the top four percent in the nation.

"That was one of our goals," Singer said.

S&P said Sachem's financial position is good with operating surpluses and growth in general fund reserves in the last four years.

The district's fiscal 2009 ended with an operating surplus of $4 million and an unreserved  fund balance of $22.9 million, with $12 million designated for 2010 expenditures and $10.9 million in undesignated, unreserved fund balance, which is equal to 4 percent of expenditures.

Sachem uses historical revenue and expenditure trends in developing its budget and reports its budget-to-actual performance monthly to the school board.

S&P also said Sachem's outlook is stable and, "continued active budget management and a good level of fund balance reserves will be important factors in maintaining the rating," and maintaining a steadfast approach in serving the community.

Check Sachem Patch in the coming months for new columns regarding Sachem's finances, curriculum, outlook on the future and how the administration, students and tax payers are affected by it all.