Sachem Warns of Teacher Layoffs

Hundreds packed the auditorium at Samoset Middle School Wednesday night to hear what Sachem Central School District administrators and board members had to say about recent news of potential teacher layoffs.

With Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recent state aid deductions, which will hit Sachem by way of $16 million during the 2011-12 school year, the district presented a worst case scenario to its employees that 30 percent could potentially be excessed. Employees with less seniority in the district were notified Wednesday, according to multiple people close to the situation.

"I’m not sure if we’ve ever faced a situation like this in the history of the district,” said Superintendent Jim Nolan, who was excessed as a Sachem teacher in 1992. “There is no simple solution.”

Tuesday at a speech on Long Island, Cuomo suggested districts dip into their reserve funds to help alleviate the strain of the aid deduction. Sachem has a little more than $11 million in unrestricted reserves, but tapping into the resource would lower its credit rating and raise its interest rate.

Still, Sachem’s assistant superintendent for business Bruce Singer said he recommends using at least some of the reserves, which he has never done inhis 20 years in the district.

“It’s nice for former Gov. Paterson and Gov. Cuomo to say you have all this money in your reserves account,” said Sachem school board trustee Jim LaCarrubba. “We’ve worked hard to build up this district’s standing as far as the credit rating and to keep the sensitivity of our taxpayers in mind. To ask us to dip in and erase that, it’s irresponsible, especially when the state is sitting on a billion and a half dollars in its reserves.”

The district presented material Wednesday that said it will have a budget of about $298 million for the 2011-12 school year, up $16 million from 2010-11. With the $16 million deduction in aid and separate increase in operating expenses, Sachem would be out over $30 million, equating to a tax increase of 21 percent.

Administrators and board members said the 21 percent was just a figure and nothing near where it will be when they come to an agreement in the coming months. They will shoot for an increase of anywhere from 4 to 10 percent, board president Rob Scavo said, which is much higher than the district’s five-year average of .56 percent, or roughly $25 a household per year.

A potential 2 percent tax cap, which has been presented at the state level, would not be implemented until the 2012-13 school year, at which time Singer said there will be more deductions in state aid.

"This is just the first wave," he said.

Among the significant increases in Sachem’s operating expenses are the teacher retirement system, employee retirement system, health insurance, electricity costs, textbooks, transportation and occupational education tuition.

“It’s very alarming to hear that Sachem will take the brunt of the cuts,” Scavo said. “We’re going to continue to lobby. Politicians have insured us they are going to look at the numbers and go back to Albany and we’re going to hold them to it. It’s unfair that you do the right thing here in Sachem and run the district efficiently and cut back on our spending. We’ve implemented renewable energy, refinanced bonds and yet they give us this cut. 

“Being a Sachem graduate we’re bred and taught to never give up. I’m not giving up and I don’t think any board members will give up. There was a little bit of a scare in schools today. It’s still early in the budget cycle. Our goal here is to provide the highest quality education and the only way to do that is to provide the instructors.”

While no teachers spoke to the board directly, their pain was certainly felt by everyone on the dais at Samoset. John Heslin, the president of the Sachem Central Teachers Association, praised their leadership qualities and spoke in harmony with the ability of everyone to work together for as positive an outcome as possible.

“We’ve been meeting with people telling them the possibility of what could happen,” Heslin said. “There were a lot of tears. We’re going to fight. [The school board was] positive in the darkest of moments. That’s strength in leadership and keeping the eye on the prize. You couldn’t ask for anymore. “

Key approved items

• The board approved a multi-year service agreement between the district and Eastern Suffolk BOCES for 40 Xerox machines, which will replace the expiring 40 leased OCE machines. The new agreement will cost over $2.4 million during the five-year period and was an agreement incorporated in the 2010-11 budget for voter approval.
• The board approved a change order for Unitech Services Group for the work its doing at Merrimac Elementary School. The original contract amount of $216,840 will be increased by $14,198 for removal of asbestos containing floor tile and cove base in three rooms where the casework was replaced.

Other items

• Representatives from the district's health education department made a presentation about a new life skills program that the district will partner with Cornell University to administer. It’s the Cornell Drug Abuse Prevention Program, which aggregates statistical analysis through surveys to both examine the best way to reduce substance abuse and to build programs around the growing issue. This will not cost the district anything, according to Lori Hewlitt, a longtime health educator in Sachem and the chair of this program.
• Students from Sachem High School North performed a small clip from their rendition of Beauty and the Beast, which they will perform live this weekend. To read a preview of the play, .

Next up

•  The board of education will meet Feb. 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the usual administrative annex at Samoset Middle School.