Announcement re Feb. 2 budget forum

BURNT HILLS: Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake school district residents are invited to attend a community forum on next year’s school budget at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, February 2, in the High School library, 88 Lakehill Road.

School board members and administrators have begun preparing for less state aid in 2010-11. They are hoping many residents will come to the forum to learn what BH-BL is facing and share ideas on how best to manage in this continuing economic decline.

Painful process

"Some of the cuts we need to consider for next year could impact aspects of the district that are points of pride for us and things we know have long-term benefits for kids," says superintendent Jim Schultz. "I fear there simply will be no way to avoid some painful changes, so it's essential to get a sense of the community's priorities and values as we start this process."

"Our goal is to find the best ways to reduce the preliminary budget," says Schultz. "On top of staffing and program cuts already made for 2009-10, that is going to be very difficult. In the current year's budget we eliminated the equivalent of 17 full time positions."

In light of today's fiscal realities, a key question for community input at the forum, Schultz says, is how should BH-BL adapt some of its expectations for school programs and services to reduce costs?

Read all about Online access to the Feb. 2 Forum and view a RECORDING of the forum.

Online participation offered

Tuesday's budget forum will also be broadcast over the internet as a virtual town hall meeting or "webinar." This means that interested persons can tune in and participate via their computer as long as they have high-speed internet access and speakers. "The best way to share your thoughts and ideas with the school board will still be to come to the forum in the high school library in person," says Schultz. "We're also trying out the idea of online access to see if this is another vehicle to get more folks involved in the budget process."

Preliminary spending figures

The BH-BL Board of Education is starting its annual budget deliberations with a preliminary request budget of $54,951,467. This represents the first estimate of funds needed to carry existing programs forward one year.

This figure is 2.97 percent higher than the current year’s budget of $53,368,860. It includes freezes on many expenses and no new staffing or new programs.

"Budget managers were told not to expect increases for things like supplies, books, equipment or services," says assistant superintendent Jacqueline St. Onge. "We have budgeted a small increase in the cost of BOCES services and utilities, plus money for the once every five years state-mandated Buildings Conditions Survey. Otherwise almost all the increase comes in contractual increases for existing staff."

Potential tax impact

Governor Paterson’s state budget message on January 19 contained proposed reductions in state aid to schools, including a potential loss of $1.6 million to BH-BL.

If this indeed comes to pass, St. Onge estimates that the district's tax levy would have to increase by 6.9 percent to balance the loss of state aid and increased costs in the preliminary budget. “This is only a starting point and will be reduced," she says. "We will see a number of changes in our projected expenses, state aid, and taxes before the budget is complete."

New legislative lobbying effort

Read all about 2010 Legislative Task Force here.

Board of Education members are also asking residents to take part in its 2010 Legislative Task Force, a new effort to influence state legislation and connect more residents with state lawmakers in meaningful ways.

Interested residents and staff members are welcome to participate in the task force, whose first meeting will be Feb. 9.

"The state's fiscal crisis is real," says Schultz. "The federal stimulus money New York is relying on now is running out soon, and we know communities all across the state need to expect to share the pain. Our goal with the Legislative Task Force is to help legislators understand how specific proposals will further impact BH-BL."

Next budget steps & meetings

Over the next few months, Board of Education members and administrators will be weighing various alternatives for reducing the budget, lobbying legislators, and revising budget projections.

A second budget forum has been scheduled for March 2 to review progress with the community, and a third one for March 25 when the school budget should be nearly complete.