SOUTH OTSELIC – Governor David Paterson’s proposed executive budget, which estimates $4,117,860 in state aid cuts for Chenango County schools, will make for a “tough and painful” situation, said Otselic Valley Business Manager George Lott. OV would face $328,389 in cuts, down 5.89 percent from projected state aid for 2010-1011, according to a preliminary estimate.

Superintendent Larry Thomas, who will step down at the end of this month following his acceptance of the district supervisor position at the Sullivan County BOCES, said the school board is seeking to form a committee to investigate the logistics, and the financial ramifications, of shutting down the OV Elementary School and bringing all of the students to one campus.

“School Board President Dave Cruikshank has repeatedly stressed that this is something no one is happy about,” said Thomas. “Yet this may be necessary due to this current economic emergency.”

The Otselic Valley Board of Education has held several meetings this month, examining a scenario which would allow them to get a contingency budget in place for 2010 and 2011.

“We knew this year’s budget would require some serious cuts,” stated Thomas. “Yet we had assumed that state aid would remain flat for this year.”