Inside Rotterdam

ROTTERDAM
District looks at cuts to balance budget
BY JUSTIN MASON Gazette Reporter

    Budget woes could force the Schalmont Central School District to trim more than a dozen jobs and eliminate a broad array of programs, ranging from the combined ice hockey team with neighboring Mohonasen to the elementary school’s gifted and talented program.
    District officials outlined more than $1.5 million worth of program cuts and the loss of 13.4 full-time equivalent positions — 4.27 percent of Schalmont’s work force —as they contend with a drastic cut in state aid. Schalmont is bracing for a $1.2 million cut that was proposed in Gov. David Paterson’s budget earlier this year.
    Schools Superintendent Valerie Kelsey said the impact of the state aid reduction is exacerbated by non-discretionary increases to the district’s health care costs, retirement payments and contracted salary increases. Yet she said the district remains committed to proposing a budget that does not increase the tax levy from last year.
    “The gap between the costs of our programs and the revenue we have to pay for them means that we need to work with our community to decide what’s most important,” she said.
    Kelsey said Tuesday the proposed job cuts would affect about 20 workers across the district. Schalmont’s three elementary schools are slated to lose four aides and one full-time teacher position. The high school would also lose one teacher and one security guard. Many other positions may be reduced from full-time to part-time.
    Schalmont’s proposed staff reductions are slightly greater than the work force cuts approved by voters last year. The district’s $42.3 million spending plan for 2009-10 trimmed about 12.5 full-time equivalent positions but relied heavily on federal stimulus funding to ensure no increase in the tax levy.
    This year, district officials will dip into Schalmont’s reserve funding while trimming a number of programs. Kelsey said budget planners wanted to ensure the district’s core programs remain unaffected by the funding crunch and spread the brunt of the cuts across the board. ..............>>>>................>>>>................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00900&AppName=1