School District Forced to Trim Budget

As state budget cuts continue to trickle down from Albany, difficult financial decisions loom in the future for the Harrison Central School District.

"We still have miles to go before we sleep," Harrison Superintendent Louis Wool said during a board of education meeting Wednesday night. Adding that he will spend most of next week's spring break trying to figure out ways to shave $600,000 from an already stretched 2010-11 budget.

"Obviously there are still hurdles we are facing," said Board of Education Vice President Dennis DiLorenzo. "I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but the budget is still a work in progress."

Proposed cuts so far include $50,000 to major projects and the elimination of an administrative position that will shed over $173,000. Staff reduction through retirement incentives will save the district at least another $56,000.

The district also saved $921,000 in health insurance payments, without cutting coverage, after rates were negotiated down this year.

In another cost-saving effort, the school board said it plans to leave some positions vacant, including a kindergarden assistant at Purchase Elementary School. Wool said that since there happen to be fewer children in next year's anticipated class, the district can leave the position empty without increasing class sizes.

But even with the cuts proposed this week, the board still needs to shed $600,000 by the next meeting on April 7 to finalize the budget. The board had, at one time, hoped to propose a finalized budget this week, but will now take the spring break to look into more ways to save.

The next step will likely include some layoffs, mostly to non-instructional staff, according to Bob Salierno, assistant superintendent for business. He added that the ultimate number of cuts depends largely on how many staff members accept a retirement incentive.

Like many other districts, Harrison has been hit hard by slashes to revenue this year. Earlier in the week, the school board projected a $3.1 million loss in revenue between assessments and state aid for next year's budget. If those numbers remain the same, it will mean a $4.2 million drop in revenue over the last two years.

But amounts are almost constantly changing, providing yet another challenge. Wool said that numbers from the state are expected to fluctuate even after the board finalizes their budget, meaning that the district is trying to hit a moving target while it plans spending.

Typically, the governor releases a budget first, followed by state legislators. History has shown that their numbers meet somewhere in the middle, creating some wiggle room for districts while planning budgets. But Salierno said that he is not counting on that happening this year.

"We're not optimistic that's going to happen because the state is in such poor financial condition that we have to go with the worst case scenario," he said.

Despite the hurdles that lay ahead, it could be worse. As it stands, Harrison expects its budget to grow only 1.9 percent from this year to next. A number that Wool said is difficult to attain given increases in staff pension and salary that are out of the district's hands.  

"I feel that we are in a better position than anyone else in Westchester County," said Wool.

But, with the deadline for a finalized budget fast approaching, Wool said the next step will be very difficult.

"I wish I could tell you that this is going to be painless folks, but it's not," he said. "At the end of the day, when you are talking about cuts of this magnitude, you have to look at personnel and you have to look at programs."