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Schools

School Board Plans Now for Future Budget Savings

Discussions are already underway to possibly keep the yearly budget at a 2 percent tax cap.

During the next several months the Port Washington School Board and administrators will grapple with ways to reduce its budget.

September might seem early in the academic year to take on that kind of challenge, given that the community won’t vote for the 2012-13 budget until May 2012. But in Port Washington, the school board is looking now to keep the tax increase capped at 2 percent for the following academic year.

 “We want to try to do things that help students and taxpayers,” Superintendent Dr. Geoffrey N. Gordon said at a recent school board meeting at .

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“We have to still plow back millions of dollars to keep our tax levy low,” he added. “The board just had to put $1.4 million back into our taxpayers’ pocket because state aid was reduced.”

Proposed cuts may include 30 to 40 teacher layoffs, elementary and middle school reductions in programs, support staff program elimination or reductions, educational reductions and high school reductions or eliminations of varied programs, according to Dr. Nicholas A. Stirling, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment. Some of the cuts might include non-mandated programs.

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Yet, Stirling said that the district would apply for more grant money. What’s more, he said, school curriculum is strong and the district has excellent teachers.

“Pre-K is not a required program and may be cut out completely, also kindergarten classes may be reduced to a half day versus a full day,” Stirling said. “We are also looking at increasing class size for the district by having 35 children in a class to save costs.”

One example, Stirling noted, would be to increase the size of a middle school science class to 30-plus students, potentially saving $70,000.

Other positions and programs might also be eliminated, including some nurses, security guards, monitors, athletic trainers, after-school clubs, educational assistants and psychologists. However, hiring more part-time staffers might be an option.

Mary Callahan, assistant superintendent for business, said there would be conservative increase estimates for the 2012-2013 calendar years.

“Within those two years salaries will increase by $2,362,000, health insurance will go up by 15 percent-totaling $1,260,000, Employment Retirement System [ERS] will increase by $443,000 and Teacher Retirement System [TRS] will increase by $1,395,500, but there will be a shortfall of $3 million,” Callahan said.

“This 2 percent tax cap is one of the worst cycles I have seen in the school system,” she added.

The next step to this budget reduction process, she added, is to meet with union leaders, look at curricular presentations from non-mandated programs and receive more input from administrators.

Some local residents, displeased about the proposed reductions, say that every year the budget is cut at the expense of students.

“Stop taking away programs from our kids,” said Joel Katz. “Ask school employees to pay for these cuts instead of taking things away from kids and parents. Over the next two years, the budget increase is all for personnel cost benefits.”

Another resident said the tax cap should be above 2 or 3 percent, with fewer cuts and fewer sacrifices for students.

“We really need to focus where we are going,” he said.

“Over the next several months, directors will supply us with information and come up with a budget that will be approved,” Stirling said.

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