The Onteora school system may face instructional and other cuts if aid isn’t restored in the state budget. That’s the song every year that precedes restoration of state funding. But what if there’s a new tune this year? Onteora would be affected more than most other school districts.
“I feel it necessary to present to you what I would consider a budget that would still provide a healthy instruction to our students — at a cost,” assistant superintendent Monica LaClair said at the March meeting of the school board.
The proposed 2024-25 budget is $61,178,200, down about a quarter of a million dollars — a mere smidgeon — from the 2023-24 budget of $61,322,550
“In order to counteract that, we are looking at the potential of a reduction of instructional positions. And I should actually say it’s not just instructional,” LaClair said. “But if needed, reduction of BOCES services, reduction of field trips, reduction of equipment, reduction of outside consulting and the reduction of professional development. And in looking at these, we really looked at how to how to affect the least amount in one specific area.”
Adding to the angst from state-aid uncertainty is a decrease in district tax revenues.
“Our taxes have already been levied, so that comes out of our budget,” LaClair explained. “Because of the high equalization rate in Woodstock … we’re seeing a lot of them [non-payment] from Woodstock, and then we also have some legal judgments and claims that we will need to pay next year.”
An equalization rate, the difference between the property assessed by the municipality and the fair market value for homes in the area, is applied in order for everyone to pay the same tax rate.
The first budget hearing is scheduled for May 7 — if everything goes as planned. “If we have an on-time state budget, our hope is that we can still present the superintendent’s recommended budget at the April 9 meeting. The board will adopt it at the end of the 16th meeting, our budget hearing will be May 7, and our budget vote will be May 21,” LaClair said.
A late budget is possible. A best-case plan is needed for if the state budget is late.
“Certainly in my history in schools, although it hasn’t happened recently, there have been times when the state budget was adopted after we are required to approve a budget to bring to the voters,” schools superintendent Victoria McLaren said. “And so we’ve kind of been talking through, if that were to be the case, then we might want to employ a strategy of saying, ‘This is the largest budget we would have. And if we don’t get the aid to fund it, we can spend less’.”
If the district were to approve a worst-case budget scenario and then get more money, it couldn’t increase its budget to match the increased revenue. “You can’t spend more than the budget that’s approved,” said McLaren, “but you can spend less.”
Capital improvements
On the Onteora school ballot this year will be a proposition for a $1.95-million expenditure from the capital reserve fund for various purposes: a generator, a security vestibule, a canopy, a cafeteria serving line, classroom and gymnasium updates and roof repairs at the middle/high school.
Here comes the sun
To avoid disruption a much as possible, Onteora will join other school districts in dismissing school early for the solar eclipse on April 8.
“We have been trying to learn as much as possible about the solar eclipse, and unfortunately, much like other situations such as air quality and pandemics, we are again placed in a position where we need to make decisions in situations that are not our specialty,” superintendent Victoria McLaren complained. “But our priority is the safety of our students.”
The middle/high school will be dismissed at 12:20 p.m. and the elementary schools at 1:20 p.m. “This will allow students to be brought back home before the most impactful portion of the eclipse,” McLaren said.
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