CNY Schools Budget: Lingering Budget Problems

By Rodney Brown
Staff Reporter

In the midst of its fading 2010 school year, Central New York Schools has yet to pass a contemporary or contingent budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal years. A lot of uncertainty surfaced, when in May, Gov. David Paterson proposed a plan to cut aid to the schools by five percent. The governor is seeking to cut aid to education by a total of 1.1 billion dollars.

Travis Proulx, a spokesperson for Senate Democratic leader John Sampson of Brooklyn, accused the governor of "impoundment", which is the refusal of the executive branch to spend funds which have been appropriated by the legislature.
"The governor's actions are clearly impoundment by another name, and the courts have long determined he does not have the authority," said Proulx.
In lieu of the governor's proposed plan to cut state aid for CNY schools, voters in their respective districts, voted in May.

The results

Voters rejected the proposed budgets in many CNY school districts, including Canastota, Onondaga Central, and Fulton. Many constituents complained that the proposed budgets were littered with tax hikes. Voters stated that they were unable to afford an increase in taxes in a still weak economy. Some went on to say that it felt like constituents were being railroaded.

Canastota, Onondaga Central, and Fulton voters re-visited the polls earlier in the week to once more try to pass a budget that will cover the schools' upcoming fiscal years. All three school districts again presented their school's budgets, rejected by voters in May.

The Fulton school district has reduced the revised budget by $132,000 to a total budget of $60,699,994. This reflects a budget to budget increase of 3.87 percent, with a tax levy impact of 1.79 percent.

Onondaga Central's proposal represents a $337,039 increase in spending over the 2009-2010 voter approved budget. State aid has historically represented approximately 48 percent of the district's revenues. The school's property tax rate is projected to increase 0.98 percent. More than 420 positions have been eliminated in Onondaga County. In all, teaching positions have taken the biggest hit.

Canastota's proposal represents a decrease in spending of 0.24 percent from last year. The tax rate proposed reflects a 0.58 percent per thousand increase for the 2010-2011 school year.

Syracuse's school district is the only one in Central New York that doesn't allow constituents to vote on the budget. It is included in the city's budget.

If the budgets for all three districts fail to pass its second time around on June 15, 2010, the boards of the schools will have to adopt a contingency budget. A contingency budget is determined by a state-mandated formula that the district must follow without discretion or deviation from that formula. It is calculated by removing all non-contingent items from the proposed budget. These include student supplies, certain equipment purchases and certain non-contractual salary increases.

The administrative component of the contingency budget can not be a greater percentage of the budget than the previous year. Districts are required to continue to meet all contractual obligations, but are not allowed to build in new raises. Under a contingency budget, public and community groups would no longer be allowed use of school buildings and grounds.