Paterson’s Budget Proposal = $4.1M Hit for Chenango Schools

January 21, 2010

Local schools will fac e tough decisions in the coming year if Governor Paterson’s proposed cuts to state aid make it through to the final state budget, according to local superintendents.

“We’re an organization built upon personnel and student programming. We are heavily dependent upon state aid to run our programs,” said Gerard O’Sullivan, superintendent of the Norwich City School District.

The Executive Budget Proposal, unveiled by Governor David Paterson Tuesday, calls for $1.1 billion in cuts to schools across New York State as one of the measures necessary to eliminate the state’s $7.4 billion budget deficit. According to preliminary figures, the governor’s plan would mean a loss of more than $4.1 million in total state aid to Chenango’s nine school districts.

For Norwich, that could mean as much of a $825,225 reduction in aid for 2010-2011, a 3.88 percent decrease from what they are slated to receive in the current academic year.

“The Norwich CSD has traditionally run a very conservative and very tight budget, and cuts in state aid of this size are devastating,” O’Sullivan said. “We have made so much progress in academics and programming, I can’t imagine what it would be like to go backwards.”

At Unadilla Valley, Superintendent Bob Mackey said he is still trying to “fully digest” the governor’s proposal.

“He has a lot of mandate relief proposed and I need to determine its impact on us,” said Mackey, explaining that he sees this and the fact that many of the existing aid formulas stayed the same as victories on the “advocacy front.”

Those victories, however, are unlikely to offset the full $546,052 cut in aid UV would be faced with if Paterson’s proposal becomes a reality.

“There will be an impact, but where and just how deep I can’t say at this time,” the superintendent reported . “We will do everything we can to make sure the impact of these cuts has limited impact on our students.”

At Bainbridge-Guilford, Superintendent Karl Brown still has questions about how the governor’s proposed reduction of $555,309 will change between now and when the state budget is finalized. The current amount being discussed represents a 5.64 percent decrease in total aid for the rural district.

His philosophy on the matter is, “plan for the worst, expect better.”

“We would have to consider many areas of the budget, but it is hard to make up that amount without considering payroll and positions,” Brown said.