Tupper: 25% faculty cut

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April 27, 2010

School District still faces 10% increase in tax levy

By KIM SMITH DEDAM Staff Writer The Press Republican Tue Apr 27, 2010, 06:47 AM EDT

TUPPER LAKE — Despite a plan to cut 30 teachers — nearly one-quarter of the total school staff — the tax levy here is still projected to rise 9.91 percent.

The district is looking to raise $6,903,520 in school taxes, even though the Tupper Lake Central School budget — at $16,418,825 — is up just 1.37 percent.

The levy increase directly reflects the pending loss of state revenue.

Tupper Lake Central School District usually receives 55-percent state aid.

"This year, it is 48 percent," School Superintendent Seth McGowan said.

Without a final state budget, the school is left hanging on projected numbers, with the budget vote slightly more than two weeks away.

"We've lost an unspeakable number of positions here, 21 instruction positions altogether — from teaching staff at Elementary School, to not replacing a math teacher at the High School and regular classroom instruction positions.

"There are four teachers retiring; we were not planning to replace those in the first place. And we have cut nine teaching assistants."

In addition, over the course of the school year, the district has either reduced or eliminated five bus driver/cleaner positions.

"And instead of having computer/coordinator position filled by a local person, we're contracting with BOCES to have that done," McGowan said.

Downsizing will hit educational programs hard.

"We're going to be extremely limited in the number of electives we can offer at the schools, in addition to being limited to Advanced Placement courses. We're talking massive layoffs here," McGowan said.

The job cuts are based on staff seniority.

MORE RELIEF?

The School Board and administration worked with Gov. David A. Paterson's executive budget, though the Assembly version of state spending restores some aid monies.

Any aid restitution would add some breathing room for taxpayers in a town faced with losing many local jobs.

Additional aid would be used to reduce the levy, McGowan said, not to reinstate jobs.

Tax-rate information in Tupper Lake is still unavailable, pending final assessments and any decision from legislature on the state budget.

The district does not have enough revenue in reserve to make up the difference in state aid, McGowan said.

"We don't carry a large fund balance. We froze spending back in December, so anything we've accrued at this time we will apply to offset the tax levy."

SALARIES

McGowan said he has taken a pay freeze.

Teachers at Tupper Lake have a contract in place, which contains a scheduled 4.25-percent salary increase. The contract is due to be renegotiated next year.

With so many teachers losing their jobs, options have not focused on concessions.

"The teachers union has been extremely supportive," McGowan said. "I've kept them very well informed. I've done a number of presentations to the full employees and sent out (weekly) Wednesday budget updates."

Construction projects starting now on school buildings are based on EXCEL monies designated for capital improvements and cannot be applied to offset budget costs.

BUS PROPOSITIONS

No big purchases are included in the school spending plan.

"We are putting two buses up for vote on a separate proposition," McGowan said. "We've been on a five-year bus-replacement plan, whereby when we sell an older bus, we're selling a bus we can make $20,000 on."

Despite difficult decisions, if the school budget is voted down on May 18, the situation could become worse.

"We need to pass the budget so we don't have to do more," McGowan said.

The Tupper Lake School budget hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, May 10, in the LP Quinn Elementary School library.

Voting on May 18 takes place from noon to 8 p.m. in the Middle/High School.

E-mail Kim Smith Dedam at: kdedam@pressrepublican.com