Hilltown Archives — The Altamont Enterprise, April 14, 2011
At BKW
Board adopts $21M proposal, asks for wage and step freezes
By Zach Simeone
BERNE — The Berne-Knox-Westerlo School District on Monday adopted a $21-million budget proposal, with a 3.5-percent tax-levy increase for the 2011-12 school year. Not two weeks ago, the district found out that it would be seeing an increase in state aid, largely due to its building aid doubling this year in anticipation of the district’s capital project.
And, the school board agreed last Thursday, in a unanimous vote, to ask district teachers and administrators to accept wage and step freezes. Business Official Kevin Callagy said this week that freezes for the teachers alone would save approximately $150,000, and Superintendent Paul Dorward said at Monday’s meeting that these funds would go towards restoring teachers’ positions that are set to be cut, should the teachers’ union agree to the district’s terms.
Kelly Smith, president of the BKW Teachers’ Association, who arrived at Monday’s meeting with dozens of other teachers, came to the front of the room and asked the school board to re-open negotiations with them.
“We are asking that you come to the table to negotiate a contract that is beneficial for everyone,” Smith said. “We think that concessions can be made.”
Smith stated, as she had last year, that the teachers have continued to work, without hesitation, despite the fact that their contract expired in June of 2009. The Taylor Law does not allow public employees, like teachers, to strike. Under the 30-step contract, teachers climb one step each year; on the first step, a teacher earns $38,350; on the 30th step, a teacher earns $86,874.
By law, teachers remain under the old contract until a new one is negotiated, but the district and the teachers’ union came to an impasse last month.
Budget
The proposed $20.9 million budget is about $1.3 million, or 6.5 percent, higher than the $19.6 million spending plan for the current year. It will depend on $10,734,974 in property taxes, a $364,183 increase from this year’s $10,370,791. With the 3.5-percent increase in the tax levy, the district will have come in below its “soft target” of an increase of between 4 and 5 percent.
BKW is expecting $8.7 million in state aid — $7.1 million in program aid, and $1.6 million in building aid — with an additional $384,463 in revenue coming from the federal education jobs fund, and $158,058 from gap elimination adjustment (GEA) restoration.
Also, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli this week certified amounts from districts’ employee benefits accrued liability reserves, or EBALR funds, that can be used by school districts to offset budget cuts; BKW, the only district in Albany county on DiNapoli’s list, will use $200,000 of its $494,224 reserve to fund next year’s budget.
EBALR funds go towards post-employment pay for accrued and unused sick leave, holiday leave, vacation leave, time allowance granted in lieu of overtime compensation, and other forms of leave time.
And, $1 million will come from the district’s unexpended fund balance, commonly referred to as its rainy-day fund. School districts, by law, can keep no more than 4 percent of the next year’s total budget in an unexpended fund balance.
Total costs for instruction at BKW are down by 5.3 percent, from $9.6 million this year, to $9.1 million next year. Transportation costs, on the other hand, are up 4 percent, from $1.53 million, to $1.6 million.
Employee benefits are up by $608,605, from $5.7 million, to $6.3 million.
The budget proposes the following staff cuts and reductions, saving a total of $240,370:
— Cutting a part-time English teacher who works eight-tenths of full-time, saving $63,348;
— Cutting a part-time math teacher who works six-tenths of full-time, saving $44,688;
— Cutting a part-time science teacher who works four-tenths of full-time, saving $19,962;
— Reducing a full-time social studies teacher to two-tenths of full-time, saving $12,516;
— Reducing a full-time math teacher to four-tenths of full-time, saving $19,962; and
— Cutting a full-time science position, saving $79,894. The board approved Sheila Martin’s leave of absence from this position on Monday, and she will not be replaced this year.
The budget also proposes to cut the following junior varsity sports teams, saving a total of $12,958: boys’ and girls’ soccer, cheerleading, softball, and baseball.
“I think, in the current budget climate,” Dorward said last week, “if we know that we’re struggling to field the teams, then it doesn’t make a lot of sense to carry them in the budget, only to then not field the team when you get to that particular season.”
The district is also cutting its general education diploma (GED) and adult education programs. While the GED program is funded by grants, cutting these programs will allow those funds to be used for other purposes, Dorward said, and GED programs are offered elsewhere.
The district will also save $864 by discontinuing the printing of its Bulldog Barker student newspaper, and plans to begin producing an online version.
Callagy opened the school board’s April 7 meeting with a discussion on other savings for the district.
“Dr. Dorward is working on a shared-service agreement with Schoharie, and that should bring us, approximately, another $47,000 payment that they are going to make to us as we share a transportation director,” Callagy told a small crowd last Thursday.
The board also agreed at this meeting to establish two new reserves to aid in budgeting, the first being a retirement contribution reserve which, according to Callagy, “Would be used to offset the next year’s liabilities or expenses.”
“This is one of those [costs] that seems to be climbing and climbing,” he said. “If we have money in the reserve to try to level it off so it’s not impacting us every single year…I certainly think this is one worth looking at.”
The second is a tax reduction reserve.
However, establishing a workers’ compensation reserve would not be appropriate for the district, he went on, as BKW is part of a trust with other school districts, which has saved money in dealing with workers’ compensation.
Speaking on the budget
A group of more than 50 people, many of them teachers, gathered in the high school auditorium for Monday’s school board meeting, which began with an hour-long public discussion on the budget.
John Fisher, a manager at General Electric who lives in Berne, said that it was BKW that brought him and his family to the Hilltowns. Fisher came to Monday’s meeting to support the district’s advanced placement (AP) college-level courses, underlining their importance.
“I don’t mind the taxes,” Fisher told the board. “The strength of the school is the strength of the community.”
School Board President Maureen Sikule told Fisher that the district did not target particular areas of the educational program when looking at cuts.
Kimberly Audino, president of the BKW Sports Boosters, urged the board to look at students’ test scores in each subject before considering cuts in a particular area, and shared some research with the board on preserving sports teams.
“Middleburgh, for example, is looking to work with Schoharie on JV sports,” Audino said. “So, if there are areas where we’re very low, they’re going to merge with Schoharie. So, that’s something to consider.” Further, she reminded the board that the community is willing to lend a hand by raising funds.
Referring to the district’s unexpended fund balance, from which $1,000,000 is being taken for next year’s budget, resident Maureen Abbott said she would like to see the district “spread that out” so the district has “something to rely on” as economic times get tougher.
Then, directing her words to the teachers in attendance, Abbott added that, while she sympathized with them, “I have not had a raise in five years…The people that I work with pay about 40 percent of their health insurance costs…I know it’s tough not getting a raise, but it’s really tough out there. And, to me, it would make more sense to have job security and not be laying off your co-workers.”
Robert Bentley, chairman of the social studies department, addressed the room as well.
“I want to see the board, the teachers, and the community come together to solve the problem,” said Bentley. “We can’t do it as long as you’re not willing to sit down and talk, and so far, we haven’t had the discussion we need to make the change…Any time, any place they want to talk, we’re ready to talk.”
Abbott expressed her frustration, as other residents have, with the confidentiality of the negotiations.
Thomas Gagnon, a district resident who ran for school board last year, addressed the teachers’ union.
“Usually, negotiations, it’s a give-and-take,” said Gagnon. “And, as far as I’ve heard from the people in this community, and talking to other people, there’s not much more this community can give. The money just isn’t there.”