School Budget Proposes Some Layoffs and a Minimal Tax Increase

Despite drastic cuts in across-the-board revenue, the Harrison Board of Education intends to increase taxes only .15 percent, Superintendent Louis Wool said Wednesday while presenting budget plans for 2010 - 11.

But the minimal tax increase came at a cost. Proposed cuts include as many as nine layoffs for next year, including one or two teachers.

"Considering all of the challenges that we are facing, I feel that we have been able to balance the needs of this district with the needs of our tax payers," said Board of Education Vice President Dennis DiLorenzo. "Unfortunately, we have done it at the expense of some of our employees and it has been painful."

Five non-instructional workers are expected to be laid off along with the teachers. Two teacher assistants will also not be back next year if the budget is adopted. Wool said the the decision to lay people off was difficult, but necessary.

"This board has tried every way possible to try to ensure that individuals who will be impacted by our downsizing get a soft landing," he said. "But at the end of the day, unfortunately, there is only so much that we can do."

The board emphasized several times that it can only control spending, and that drops in property assessment and state funding have made balancing this year's budget very difficult. Lost revenue for next year is expected to total over $3 million, including an approximate $572,000 cut in state aid.

Spending will increase only 1.6 percent within the district next year. An accomplishment, according to Wool, because most cost increases, such as pensions and teacher salaries, are out of the board's control. He credited the minimal spending to a long term budgeting approach over several years.

"There is a reason why our number looks so good, it's because we have approached this on a multi-year plan," said Wool. "The board has been extraordinarily diligent and disciplined in sticking to this plan."

The district has already shed $550,000 by using a retirement incentive that was previously approved by the teacher's union. The program, used in a similar way by the town board during its budget process earlier this year, provides an incentive for longer tenured teachers to retire, saving the district money. Wool said that if another teacher chooses to take the incentive one more teaching job would be saved.

Despite the obstacles, there were other bright spots in the budget. No specific school programs are expected to be eliminated and hundreds of thousands of dollars were saved from decreased health insurance costs that have no affect on coverage.

But, as expected, the most difficult topic was the elimination of current employees.

"That is the slide that is the most troubling to us," Wool said, referring to a display of positions that are proposed to be eliminated. "People to the right of that slide are individuals who, unfortunately as a result of this downturn, will end up without a position."

Those cuts will, however, play a significant role in keeping taxes down. While property assessments have dropped in each of the last four years, school taxes have remained stable in Harrison over the same span, a fact that DiLorenzo pointed out at a positive.

But the decisions have been tough and, as Board of Education President Joan Tiburzi pointed out, have not been taken lightly.

"We all have worked painfully and diligently to take every decision in this budget to heart," she said. "We have done everything we can with what we have."