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An eye on the bottom line
(view
the budget numbers)
On Tuesday, May 20, residents across the state
will vote on school budgets for the ensuing year. Concerns about
the economy, the effect of Beech Nut’s departure from
Canajoharie, and the cost of energy weigh heavily upon everyone
in our community. This year, perhaps more than in years past,
residents will carefully consider our responsibility to educate
our youth, the quality of that education, and, of course, the
cost.
Over the years, our community has rightfully
come to expect that Canajoharie students will receive the finest
education in our area. That expectation is repeatedly
demonstrated by students’ performance on New York State exams,
by the percentage of students who continue on to college after
graduation, and by the numerous individual awards and honors
earned by our students and staff.
In addition, our facilities are among the most
attractive and well-maintained in the state. Visitors are
impressed by our schools’ design and overall condition. Many new
residents cite our school as a major reason for choosing to
settle in our community. These indicators tell us we are on the
right path.
Controlling costs
The Board of Education is committed to the goal
of wisely investing taxpayer resources. Together with school
administrators, they are constantly reviewing our programs and
procedures seeking areas where we can be more efficient.
Two keys changes in 2008-09 will save the
district money. First, a shift in our student population will
enable us to reduce staffing by two positions without affecting
programming or services. Second, and even more substantial,
Canajoharie Central School has taken a lead role in the creation
of a shared business office at HFM BOCES. For years, our
business office consisted of a business administrator and three
additional personnel who paid bills, handled employee benefits
and payroll, applied and reported for state and federal school
aid, and oversaw district accounting. A study revealed that the
district would save over $100,000 per year by contracting with
BOCES for those services. One business employee will remain in
the district to handle day-to-day affairs. There will be no loss
of jobs as the remaining staff will transfer to the shared
business office.
Driving the budget
We expect that our budget will increase as
prices increase, but two costs are rising faster than
anticipated. First is the cost of energy. This proposed budget
includes the expected increased cost of energy to transport our
students and to heat and light our buildings. The greatest
increase, however, is tied to Special Education. Under federal
law, we are required to educate every student in our district
without regard to physical or learning disabilities. We have
proudly undertaken that charge. Unfortunately, educating
students with special needs is very expensive, oftentimes as
much as five to ten times more expensive than our average per
pupil costs. Last year, we incurred an unexpected $400,000 in
expenses as new students requiring additional services moved
into our district.
A brighter fiscal future
Two years ago, we faced a $651,000 deficit due
to an unanticipated decline in revenues. Voters trusted the
district’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and approved a
difficult tax increase. As a result, we have erased that
deficit. We now look to the future. In spite of some
extraordinary costs, this proposed budget keeps the tax increase
in line with inflation—and it enables us to continue on our
quest to prepare our students for success in a rapidly changing
workplace. |
