GUILDERLAND — Guilderland residents who support the school district’s $79 million budget proposal for next year and those who oppose it both point out that the 75 percent spent on salaries and benefits is not immovable.
"The administrators negotiate those contracts; the school board approves them," said Raymond McQuade, who supports the budget.
"I don’t believe people are overpaid; you get what you pay for," he said. But he went on to question the benefits, asking, "Why so rich""

He said Guilderland employees are paying for options they don’t know about and don’t care about.
Mark Grimm, who opposes the spending plan, said, "This budget makes it clear the highest priority is not students, parents, or taxpayers; it’s employees....Our bargaining units have an undue influence."

Grimm listed cashing out sick days and providing health insurance for employees’ children until they are 25 as excessive benefits.

Grimm and McQuade were among a score of citizen volunteers who aired their views last Thursday after a month of budget review.

During the sixth and final televised budget-review session, a number of common concerns were voiced — although the citizens commented on both sides of those issues, often advising board members in opposite ways.

The citizens spoke for and against the budget draft in about equal numbers.

The proposed spending plan, presented by Superintendent Gregory Aidala, represents an increase of about $3 million or 4.51 percent over this year. The district estimates that Guilderland residents would pay 5.66 percent more in taxes — or $19.39 per $1,000 of assessed value.

The school board’s role was to listen during the review sessions. The board is slated to adopt a final spending plan on April 11 and voters will have their say on May 16.

The most frequently-named topics at the wrap-up session included:

— Revising health-insurance coverage for district employees. The school board has focused on the issue this year as annual costs for health-insurance coverage at Guilderland have doubled in the last five years to $8.2 million. Six of the citizens on the committee advised revising health coverage while two said to maintain it;

— Combining the duties of the English and social-studies supervisor at the high school into one job; one supervisor would oversee 41 social-studies and English teachers, saving $85,000 in salaries and fringe benefits next year. Four committee members spoke against merging the position while two others posed different plans to save money;

— Requiring English teachers to teach five courses like most other high-school teachers rather than the four they teach now, which they say allows more time for in-depth writing and analysis. This would save two teachers’ salaries and benefits, or about $110,000. Two citizens on Tuesday spoke in favor of keeping a four-course load, while two others recommended five courses;

— Lengthening the elementary-school day, as recommended by a transportation study, to save money on busing. Two committee members recommended lengthening the elementary-school day;

— Maintaining front-door monitors at the elementary schools for security reasons. Three committee members urged shedding the monitors and spending the money elsewhere while two said to keep or expand the monitors’ hours;

— Teaching foreign language at the elementary schools, rather than beginning, as now, at the middle-school. Four citizens spoke in favor of an early start to learn another language;

— Cutting 25 or more teaching assistants for a total of 150 hours. One committee member favored the plan while seven urged restoring some or all of the aids;

— Cutting a full-time social-worker post at Altamont Elementary School to three days, since that school has fewer than 300 students. The social worker would work the other two days at the middle school, replacing a third full-time social worker there. The annual cost for a social worker, including both salary and benefits, is about $58,000. Two citizens spoke in favor of cutting the social-worker post while six opposed the cut;

— Phasing out over two years the two assistant-principal posts at the elementary schools. The savings next year would be $95,000, and the following year would be $105,000. Two spoke in favor of the cut while none opposed it; and

— Returning the high-school associate principal position to administrator for special education, while maintaining the full-time administrative dean’s post. This would save $4,500 next year in salary adjustment. One committee member recommended cutting the freshman dean while another outlined other administrative cuts.

Citizens’ speak

Superintendent Aidala, called on each committee member to state their views.
Walter Jones, who termed the spending plan "prudent," said he was disappointed that cuts were made on areas "that directly affect student education."
He said he would prefer the part-time grade-school security monitors be "shed" instead.
Jones called the merging of the English and social-studies supervisor post "a disservice to the program."
Jones recommended adopting a "level load" of five classes for each full-time teacher, a proposal the school board, in a split vote, rejected last year.
Jones said he did not want to degrade coverage, saying it would "stress out teachers" to have a low-level health-insurance plan.
Raymond McQuade called the cutting of 25 teaching assistants and the reduction of a social worker "a Band-Aid solution," and urged putting them back in the budget.
McQuade said he was disturbed when Steve Hadden, the administrator for special programs, had said, "I’m going to have to get creative."
Hadden is shouldering most of the cuts, said McQuade, and "It’s the responsibility of the board and the administration to be creative."

Jeanna Cornetti said she would like full-time social workers at Altamont Elementary and at the middle school.
She also said the federal No Child Left Behind "unfunded mandate" greatly increases stress on students.

And, she looks forward to seeing the budget successfully passed.

Rae Ellen Burke said the budget had doubled in the last 14 years.
"We pay more per child than any district in the area," she said. "We are not at the top of anything except the shortest school day for elementary students."

She also said programs were not evaluated. And she supports cuts to special education, saying psychological services should be provided by parents. Even with the social-worker position cut, she said, the district has enough people in place to handle emergencies.
Burke recommended cutting the freshman dean’s post, calling it "nothing more than a highly-paid guidance counselor."

She said the district has an excellent student-to-teacher ratio, even with the teaching assistants cut. She also backed a five-course load for English teachers and said, unless changes are tried, they can’t be evaluated.
"We must be willing to make the tough decisions," said Burke. "People are going to have to do more."
Cheryl Alban said she was "struck by the passion of the school staff." She also said, "Any cut is going to be painful."

She questioned the sense of cutting a social-worker position with an increasing special-needs population, and she said it doesn’t make sense to combine the English and social-studies supervisor.

Spending $28,000 per year for a part-time front-door monitor isn’t as central as services that impact students and teachers in the classroom, she said.
Timothy Burke, Rae Ellen Burke’s husband, said, "These numbers are worse than they appear if you consider we’re losing students."

The budget gap is getting larger, he said.

Teachers, who are required to have master’s degrees, can teach their students about teamwork and bullying, Burke said, meaning social workers aren’t needed to do so.
He also said, "We need to refer kids to appropriate mental-health professionals," indicating the district shouldn’t bear the brunt of the costs. "We don’t keep track of how many...referrals are made," said Burke. "There’s no information."
Fewer administrators would be needed at the high school, Burke indicated, if teachers took an active role in discipline. Teachers, he said, should be "the first line in dealing with kids’ behavior."
"The profanity we allow our kids to use is unacceptable," said Burke.
Robert Hilt, who described himself as a budget supporter and retired teacher, said, "It all boils down to transparency."

His family moved to Guilderland when his son was in the fifth grade and reading at a second-grade level, Hilt said. A teaching assistant worked with his son for half a year, teaching him phonics, which improved his reading, and set him on a successful course.
Hilt expressed his concerns over the teaching-assistant cuts and over the merging of supervisors at the high school. Supervisors help teachers become better educators, Hilt said, and the evaluation process "becomes a little bit farcical" if not properly implemented.
Charles Kuon, the father of a second-grader, said he likes the overall class size in elementary school. He suggested, with declining enrollment at the middle school, that should be looked at "before we get there."
Kuon said he thinks the district can do better with transportation and that busing costs will continue to "skyrocket"; he suggested combining the middle-school and high-school runs.

Kuon said he supports teaching foreign language in the elementary schools.
He also said that pension costs, health-care costs, and energy costs are all way over the consumer-price index. "You have to educate the community about that," said Kuon.

He concluded that property taxes are the most equitable kind of taxes and are fair across the board.
Karen LaFreniere, who said she is employed in the private sector, stated that layoffs have become the norm and benefits are "a perk that has become unaffordable."

She said she was disappointed that a number of the budget discussions centered on defending the status quo.

Teaching assistants are politically the weakest group, LaFreniere said, and she also said that allowing high-school English teachers to carry a smaller course load has to be addressed.

Six full-time high-school administrators are excessive, LaFreniere said.

If the elementary-school day were extended 30 to 40 minutes, she said, students would receive three to five weeks more of instruction, which would help address the concerns of the extra testing required by the state and federal legislation.

Mark Owen called the Guilderland School District one of the best in the area.
Of the social worker in Altamont, Owen said, "Service should be based on need and not on numbers."

He also said he’d like to see some of the teaching assistants reinstated.
Owen, who works in the private sector, said everyone calls Guilderland’s benefits "the Cadillac of benefits."
"I see them as a good way to attract candidates," said Owen.

Mary Toscano supported teaching foreign language in the elementary schools, citing the global economy. Much research has been done, she said, on the benefits of early foreign-language introduction.

She suggested working with the University at Albany or The College of Saint Rose on advances in education.

Toscano said she’d like to see more textbooks brought home, rather than just Xeroxed sheets, which are easily misplaced.

She also suggested selling tickets to offset the costs of sports.
Toscano termed cutting teaching assistants "appalling," stating that they offer tutoring and keep order in the classroom.

David Langenbach said he was not very comfortable with the social-worker or teaching-assistant cuts. As a former Guilderland school-bus driver, he said, he could see the difference in students after teaching assistants had been introduced into the classrooms.
"Some of these small young kids have a lot on their plates," said Langenbach, and a sense of self-worth is essential to their growth.
He also said, "We’re at a crossroads here. Taxpayers can no longer have their rich program if they want lower taxes.... Somewhere down the road, something has to give."
Mark Grimm pointed to a $400 easel as an example of "poor purchasing practices," and concluded, "A no vote makes a statement the old ways of doing things can no longer be sustained."

Donald Csaposs said that the proposed budget’s 4.5-percent spending increase over this year is beyond the consumer-price index for four major reasons — debt service for the middle-school building project; pension costs, energy costs, and health-insurance costs.
The goal with health benefits, Csaposs said, should be to attract quality employees but to be in step with the "broader community."

He suggested the district could save by cutting security systems at the schools that shut out the world.

Csaposs concluded that he doesn’t support or not support budget drafts, but will make a statement on the final product.

David Heller, who described himself as the father of a young child, said he wants what is best for students.

He said he’d like to see the teaching assistants stay and, if a cut is needed, the elementary school assistant principals could go, as already outlined in the budget.
"The TA’s directly affect our children," said Heller.

He said he’d like to see a longer school day.
This year’s budget passed by just 303 votes, Heller said, concluding, "We need to give citizens more of what they’re looking for." He listed a longer school day, foreign-language instruction at the elementary school, and cutbacks on health benefits.
Bryan Anderson said his elementary-age daughter is having an "excellent experience" and she is "enjoying learning."

Having grown up in New York City himself, where the classes could have 32 or 33 students, Anderson said that he appreciates the small class sizes at Guilderland.

He said he also appreciates the budget’s single-digit increase when energy costs are soaring.
Anderson recommended an "aggressive review of health plans." His employer, with workers across the country, used to offer 10 different health plans, he said, but it now offers just one.
"In 2006, health-care coverage is not a primary driver in competitiveness," Anderson said.

He suggested speeding up the reduction of elementary-school assistant principals — cutting both next year — to help offset the teaching-assistant and social-worker reductions.

Anderson said the district needs to look for better results in negotiations and suggested that maybe more board involvement there will help.
Tracy Murphy said, "I share most of your same concerns." He said he agreed with McQuade on health insurance and said the time to consider new options for plans is now.

He also said he agreed with Rae Ellen Burke that other districts pay less per student but have higher scores.
"If the vote were tomorrow, I would vote no," said Murphy, concluding the budget draft was a good effort but he said he isn’t convinced it’s the best effort.
Richard Young said that, as a taxpayer, he appreciates the "real sacrifice" made in drafting the spending plan. It’s not a budget the staff is enthused about, said Young, and he cautioned the school board not to overreact.
"A silent majority of the town is in favor of schools," said Young.

A 5-percent hike is not out of line, Young said. He supports the plan and thinks his neighbors would, too.

Young said that, rather than combining the English and social-studies supervisor, it would make more sense to keep the supervisors in place and have each teach half-time.
He favors keeping the course load for English teachers at four so as not to "dilute the system."
"Our kids come out with excellent reading, writing, and speaking skills," Young said, which are critical to have.
He concluded that his son and his son’s friends are getting accepted "by colleges all over," which Young termed "the prize at the end of the process."
Carolyn Kelly called the estimated 6-percent tax hike "beyond comprehension" and said, that, after the town-wide revaluation in Guilderland last year, "Homeowners are still reeling."
"I cannot support the current budget," said Kelly. She said money could be saved in health care and transportation.

Kelly also recommended combining two district administrative posts — that of assistant superintendent for curriculum, and director of human resources.

She also said that instructional supervisors at the middle school and high school should be combined to serve grades six through 12. She said, too, that there should be no more than two house principals at the middle school and each should serve two houses.
Kelly said that the "hysterical attitude" towards testing must change. And she said that school starting times should be changed immediately, in time for the start of the next school year.
Teaching assistants should be restored, said Kelly, calling their value "immeasurable."

Foreign language should be taught at the elementary schools if Guilderland students are to compete in the 21st Century, Kelly said.
She said she is concerned about the lack of textbooks in math and science, which she called "crucial."

Kelly, who served on a subcommittee of the Safe Schools Committee, which recommended increased security measures at the elementary schools said that the five schools continued to lack a front-door monitor at all times.

Kevin Risko, with a son in the school district, said that the budget is largely dependent on labor negotiations. He suggested the district develop a committee, similar to the citizens’ budget advisory committee, to comment on collective bargaining agreements.
He also said he doesn’t agree with giving "full-time benefits" to employees who work 20 hours a week; he said the cost of benefits was more than wages.
This can be changed at the negotiating table, said Risko. "That’s where the rubber hits the road," he said.
Risko said he couldn’t support the budget, based on high salaries and "Cadillac benefits."
"The message needs to be sent the increase of our taxes is not acceptable," said Risko.

"Representative democracy"
"Some things I agree with; some things I disagree with," said Superintendent Aidala at the close of the meeting. "Some things are accurate; some things are not accurate," he said of the volunteers’ comments.
Aidala said he hopes the school board will take a "holistic approach."
A contingency budget, which is capped by the state if voters defeat a spending plan twice, is "not a pretty picture," Aidala said.
"We heard both sides of the issues...The committee is not speaking in one voice," said Aidala.

He closed with a comment on representative democracy, pointing out that the school-board members are the elected representatives of the community, and it is up to them to provide direction.

Aidala said it would probably be unwise to look for citizen input in sitting at bargaining tables with employees.
The board is the elected body, said Aidala. "That’s called a democracy...a system that’s worked for 200 years...."