Sachem School Board Begins Budget Talk, Administration Dishes Out Initial Numbers

Bruce Singer, Sachem’s assistant superintendent for business, laid out the district’s initial plan for the 2011-12 school budget, proposing numerous cuts in order to make up for an increase in operating expenses and a decrease in state aid.

Among the $7.7 million in cuts are over $1 million in BOCES special education tuition, over $400,000 in staff positions which include 21 kindergarten aides and two attendance aides, as well as $2.2 million in other staff salaries.

A standing room only crowd packed the auditorium for the second straight week at Samoset Middle School Wednesday night to hear administrators discuss the fiscal challenges that will be worked out over the next few months.

Last week, the , 450 of which are teachers, that they could be excessed if the worst case scenario rings true.

“There is not a program or a person that is part of our Sachem family that we want to lose, not a single one,” said Sachem Superintendent Jim Nolan. “We’re faced with a hurdle, the likes of which we really have not scene in quite some time, if ever. In the end we certainly want to continue to offer the programs we’ve been so fortunate to offer our students and we certainly want to keep the folks who drive those programs. It will not ever be a fair process, but we will do our very best to continue to keep our Sachem family intact.”

Singer gave a presentation on what tax rates of 4.09, 6.16, and 8.2 percent would mean in terms of cuts for the district.

Last week Singer said he was in favor of using part of the district’s reserves to make up for the shortfall of cash for the 2011-12 budget, $24.6 million of which is left over in an unreserved fund balance from 2010-11.

Singer also said he’d be willing to bond out about $10 million from Excel Capital Projects. The district has manufactured a AA+ credit rating, which won’t be hit too hard since the interest rates are low right now, he said.

Among other cuts proposed were over $400,000 in co-curricular activities, which would be specifically selected by building principals based on student enrollment and interest, reducing middle school sports teams from two to one, saving $286,000, and summer school, which equates to $427,000. JV9 programs will be slashed as well, but most schools in Suffolk County will rid themselves of those teams, cutting all competition and necessity to house them.

The attendance aid positions were a hot topic as multiple people spoke on behalf of the potential cuts.

“Every year we come to the board and every year we fight for those two positions not to be abolished,” said Kim Nowakowski, vice president of the United Public Service Employees Union. “On each occasion it was shown that these positions are important positions and need to remain in the budget. They have a very important job.”

“We know some of the challenges that we have ahead of us,” school board president Rob Scavo said. “There is nothing more important to us. Our main mission is to offer the highest quality education to our students. Our staff, we know is the driving force to what happens in our schools. It doesn’t go unnoticed.

"We’re going to continue to lobby Albany. We’re going to continue to fight for our fair share. We’ve acted very responsible here in this district, providing tax payer sensitive budgets and we feel like we’re being penalized by the state of New York.”

With that, Scavo read a letter he and the board are sending to Cuomo, specifically noting the reserves situation, which the governor suggested last week as a method to cope with his depletion of state aid for all school districts.

“In some districts, reserves may be able to cover the increased costs in curriculum and instruction as well as in staff, but our district would still see a shortfall after all reserves are exhausted,” the letter reads. “This method of management would ultimately result in a loss of educational programs as well as significant reductions in staff which would increase our class sizes and reduce opportunities for students.”

Scavo also mentioned that board members and administrators would be traveling to Albany March 23 in hopes of meeting with Cuomo to discuss the financial issues further.

No numbers from Albany are official until the New York State Legislature approves the adopted budget, meaning Sachem could see more state aid.

“We’re going to have to use estimates,” Singer said.

If the numbers do not change, Sachem will get $97.8 million in state aid for 2011-12, down from the $112.5 million in 2010-11.

The board of education said it will review Singer's numbers and get back to him at the next board meeting to be held March 2 at Samoset.