Ticonderoga faces severe school cuts

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February 13, 2012

LOHR McKINSTRY Press-Republican The Press Republican Mon Feb 13, 2012, 07:22 AM EST

TICONDEROGA — Ticonderoga Central School District is facing the possibility of severe cuts to stay under the state's 2 percent tax-levy cap.

To find out what ideas people might have to overcome the crisis, the School Board is holding a community forum at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the High School cafeteria.

The district is starting its 2012-13 budget process almost $2 million short, Superintendent John McDonald Jr. said.

"We need to discuss our budget situation and get input from the community. There will be a short presentation. Then we'll do tabletop exercises to get people involved."

The team problem-solving approach has been successful in the past, he said, with many useful suggestions coming from district residents.

The budget picture is pretty bleak, McDonald said.

"So far it looks awful. Everything is on the table."

The possibilities include layoffs and deep program cuts, he said.

Once the work sessions have concluded at the meeting, they'll reconvene to discuss what was learned, he said.

That information, he said, "will become part of our budget workshops."

The first of numerous public budget workshops is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28, in the High School cafeteria.

The way last year's budget was finalized prepared them for this year's struggle, the superintendent said.

"This isn't a surprise. We were forced to use a lot of one-shot revenue last time. That was $1.7 million. We're starting $1.7 million in the hole (this year)."

Last year's budget had a 4 percent tax hike, passing on the second try after the first vote on a budget with a 5 percent tax increase failed.

The amount to be raised by taxes for 2011-12 was $10 million, in a budget that totaled $18.9 million. To keep taxes down, the district eliminated nine teaching jobs last year.

Email Lohr McKinstry at: lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com