A $135 million school budget will continue staff cuts while looking to override a state-imposed tax levy cap by about $2 million, increasing the hurdles for its passage from a regular majority vote to a super majority of 60 percent.
Throughout the past decade, staff sizes districtwide have reduced from 896 to 840, meanwhile enrollment has increased by 587 students—roughly 12 percent—since 2010, according to district numbers.
The 2017-18 budget proposes to continue staff reductions, cutting multiple positions in special education, music and arts, with the extra-help program APPLE, which stands for “A Place People Learn Excellence,” slated to be almost fully dismantled.
According to a budget memo, APPLE, which currently provides 47 students in grades nine through 12 with specialized learning curriculum and extra help, is being phased out in favor of other more specialized initiatives.
Currently, as of press time, a petition to save the program has garnered nearly 800 signatures from residents across the school district who feel the elimination of the program would do more harm than good.
On top of APPLE, which is experiencing the most holistic cuts, the budget will also nix 13 teacher’s aide positions.
In all, the budget would cut the equivalent of 9.6 fulltime certified positions, five of them from APPLE alone. Other notable cuts include a music teacher and two special education teachers.
With the addition of 4.5 other positions—including a science teacher, a new physical education teacher, and assistant superintendent—cuts to certified teachers net out to about five full-time positions.
Among the major cost increases driving a 2.48 percent tax levy increase over the current budget, according to a statement from Superintendent Dr. Robert Shaps, are contractual obligations like salary increases and rising health care expenditures.
Currently, the school district is $1.8 million over budget for health care costs alone.
If the override is confirmed, it would mark the first year since the passage of a statewide tax levy cap—approved by the state Legislature in 2011—that the district has chosen to exceed its predetermined increase limit.
According to Shaps, while the district has done “more with less” throughout the past five years, the result has been a decline in per pupil expenditure which—coupled with the expansion of student enrolment—has dropped steadily.
Shaps said the district must invest in the school systems to move forward.
“I need to let the community know when cuts are no longer possible and be clear about what’s at stake when a budget is unveiled,” he said.
Among the areas eyed for expansion, according to a budget memo, will be materials for a new science curriculum, a new robotics curriculum, and the continued growth of “elective pathways” at the high school level.
The budget, which was released last month, will undergo a final vote from the Board of Education on April 18, and must secure a 60 percent vote in favor to be adopted, due to its levy increase.
Once adopted, the budget will go to a public referendum, which will take place on May 16.
