Lake, River Schools See Deeper Aid Cuts

January 21, 2010

North country school districts with higher property values would see deeper school aid reductions than others, as part of Gov. David A. Paterson’s budget proposal.

"They’re looking for some of the wealthier school districts to share more of the burden," Sackets Harbor Superintendent Frederick E. Hall Jr. said. "And if you look at the numbers in our county, the districts in the lake and river communities where there are high property values are seeing larger aid reductions."

Of Jefferson County’s 11 schools districts, Lyme Central, Sackets Harbor Central and Thousand Islands Central schools, which have waterfront parcels on Lake Ontario or the St. Lawrence Seaway, would see the largest-percentage reductions in school aid based on the governor’s budget proposal.

The wealth factor for districts is calculated using a combined wealth ratio, said Barbara O. Greene, director of finance for the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services. The ratio takes into account several factors and compares them with the state average. The factors include a district’s adjusted gross income per pupil, property values within the district and what percentage of the district’s students use the free and reduced-price lunch plan.
Lyme Central School District would see the largest percentage of school aid reduction in the c ounty, 11.39 percent, or $328,931 less aid than this fiscal year.

"We look at this and think, ‘Well, there goes a sports program,’ or ‘There goes a music program,’" Lyme Superintendent Karen M. Donahue said. "For many students, that’s the reason why they get up and go to school in the morning."

Sackets Harbor Central School District would see the second-largest reduction in Jefferson County, 10.67 percent, or $338,992 less school aid than the district received this fiscal year.

Mr. Hall and school board members will look at programs and base their decisions on which programs make up the academic core and are mandated by the state.

"It’s no longer incidental reductions," Mr. Hall said. "We’re going to need to examine all staff and every function within the district."

Thousand Islands Central School District will see school aid that is $761,493, or 10.29 percent, less than the district received this fiscal year. The discussions about how the district will make up the school aid loss are very preliminary, but the focus will be on the students, Superintendent Joseph A. Menard said.

"This is going to be a great challenge for our district," he said. "Our priority will continue to be giving our students the best education possible."

South Jefferson Central School District also will take a big hit, despite the fact that it’s a lower-wealth district, District Superintendent Jamie A. Moesel said. The district will see an 8.14 percent, or $1,559,229, aid decrease from this fiscal year.

"The executive budget document says that a low-wealth district would take a smaller-percentage cut than a higher-wealth district," Mrs. Moesel said. "But in r eality, we’re one of the lower-wealth districts and yet we’re still seeing an 8.14 percent decrease. I’m trying to understand how that happened."