District looks for more ways to explain budget

February 23, 2010

POPLAR RIDGE – Taxpayers in the Southern Cayuga Central School District could have access to plentiful information regarding the district’s 2010-11 budget and the overall process of building a budget.

 The board of education presented a portion of its working budget for the 2010-11 school year at its meeting Monday. The categories of teaching-administration, library, staff development, technology, guidance, diagnostic screening/psychologist and health services were discussed.

Superintendent Mary Kay Worth explained that the figures for salaries in the 2010-11 budget will seem higher than they actually are because two years of increases are being represented. The salary figures from the previous year were not shown or figured in on the current budget because the district was in the middle of negotiations with employees regarding their salaries, Worth said.

Many components of the district’s budget will rely on the Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services budget. Although the district hasn’t seen the BOCES budget yet, business administrator Martha Stevermer expects it will be accessible within the next two weeks.

Worth described 2010-11 as a “complicated and difficult budget year.” For this reason, she asked board members Monday if they would be interested in starting up a budget presentation committee. Board vice president Bruce Kopp and members Lisa Killian and Joe Lonsky expressed interest. They agreed to get together soon to start working on a presentation.

“When this budget is presented, understand how the community will see it,” said board president Ted Rejman. “Make it clear … user friendly. Eliminate as many questions as possible. There are always going to be questions, but try to eliminate the obvious ones.”

The board discussed briefly a few topics it would like to present to the community through the presentation, a budget pamphlet and the district’s newsletter, the “Rambling Reporter.” Three videos and a supporting document explaining the budget process are already posted on the district’s Web site.

The community will have a chance to learn more about the budget during a community budget presentation held at 7 p.m. Monday, March 15 at the Poplar Ridge campus. A public budget hearing will take place May 10.

The next board meeting will be at 7 p.m. Monday, March 8 in the high school library.

In other news:

* High school principal Luke Carnicelli was granted tenure appointment by the board after completing the standard three years of probationary service. This appointment will be effective March 11.

* Don Schomette, a retired police officer and school safety consultant, will put on a district safety team meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the high school library.