State Finance Crisis Brings Budget
by Alex Brooks
Hoosick Falls CSD Business Administrator Emily Sanders presented the latest version of the budget for the next school year to an online meeting of the School Board held on Thursday April 23. Superintendent of Schools Pat Dailey prefaced the presentation by saying that NY State will be releasing new budget information in the first week of May which might result in “major adjustments” to the budget. So even though it is late April when school budgets are normally final, Dailey called the current version a “preliminary” budget.
Planned spending for the upcoming year is exactly the same as the current year, so there is no increase in budgeted spending, despite some increases in costs. The tax levy is also exactly the same as last year.
The fund balance being applied to reduce the revenue needed is $242,612 more than was used in the current year, but Sanders presented figures showing that actual spending in this year will be enough below budgeted spending to fully fund the fund balance being applied for next year.
Dailey said contracts with teachers and with support staff that were due to expire June 30 have been extended for one year without change in order to give the District some certainty about its payroll costs in this difficult budget year.
Sanders said NY State is facing a $15 billion deficit and as a result has made a “Pandemic adjustment” to school aid, which took away $335,110 of state aid to the Hoosick Falls District. But this cut will be offset with Federal aid to the District of the same amount contained in the CARES Act (coronavirus relief) passed by the Congress in late March. The CARES act money was intended to help school districts with educating students remotely. Mary McKilip of the Education Law Center said these funds “are meant to provide students with internet access, computer devices, online learning platforms” so teachers can continue to teach while schools are closed. Because the “pandemic adjustment” takes away that money, there are no extra funds for those purposes. But NY State’s fiscal distress is real, and what measures may be taken to deal with it remains an open question. That is why Dailey is warning that the District’s budget remains subject to revision. In this budget presentation, state operating aid and the CARES act money together are $207,086 less than state operating aid is in the current year, a reduction of about 1.8%. That, plus an increase in health insurance of $194,000, creates a $400,000 hole in the budget which requires some significant belt-tightening to balance.
Dailey said the budget presented and the cost savings included in it “do not impact student programming in the District.” The District will eliminate five positions for a total savings of $385,492. One retiring teacher in the elementary and one in the secondary will not be replaced, one retiring secretary will not be replaced, and the Community Information Officer and Art Therapist positions will be eliminated. In addition, the offsite PATH program and the Equine Therapy program will be eliminated, which together bring a savings of $149,000. On the other side of ledger, The District plans to add a half-time speech teacher and increase the number of students attending vocational classes at the Career Development Center in Bennington, which adds back in about $105,000 of expense.
Sanders said it looks like the vote will be on June 9, and it looks like it will be done by absentee ballot. Jackie Houghton and John Helft are up for re-election and both are running again.
There will also be two propositions on the ballot, one for a bus reserve and one for a capital project reserve.
Superintendent Pat Dailey said “Graduation is up in the air.” A traditional graduation will probably not be possible this year, and the Administration is trying to figure out an alternative way to do it. He said videos are being made, one for graduation and one for Awards night, and he has inquired about the availability of the North Hoosick Drive-in as a possible alternative venue, but no plans have been made yet.
Dailey said a school ranking list done by US News & World Report was released recently, and Hoosick Falls High School was ranked 11th among 46 capital region public high schools. The methodology gives 30% weight to a college readiness index, which measures participation rates and success on AP tests, and the amount of college level coursework available to the students, and also uses the usual metrics of graduation rates and student performance on standardized tests. The web site summary of HFCS performance showed these scores: 31% took at least one AP exam; 21% passed at least one AP exam; 86% achieved math proficiency; 97% achieved reading proficiency; and the school’s graduation rate was 88%.
Dailey added that if this kind of ranking looked at the growth in student achievement over the course of their school career, Hoosick Falls would be the top school in the region.
Dailey said planning for Phase 2 of the District’s capital improvement project is continuing to move forward. Synthesis architects are continuing to develop the plans and meetings between synthesis and the District administration are continuing. The Phase 1 boiler replacement project is still going forward as planned and should be completed by the end of the summer.
John Helft asked about the impact of the school closure on the educational development of the students. Dailey said the teachers are doing a great job with remote learning, but it is definitely not as good for student learning as regular school. “Especially in the elementary, it is a big hit. For kids who struggle, losing contact with their teachers for five and a half months instead of two months is a huge problem.” He said he expects it to take two years to catch up for some of the students.
The Board accepted resignations from Science teacher Karen Tommasino and Account Clerk Vicki Dwyer effective at the end of the school year, and a resignation from Executive Secretary and District Clerk Pam Cottrell effective January 1, 2021.