OXFORD – Oxford Superintendent Randy Squier presented his administration’s budget proposal to the district’s board of education Monday night, at the school system’s first budget meeting of the year.
His plan, which endeavors to close the gap between state aid reductions and rising costs, reflected a decrease in spending from the current year of 1.19 percent and would increase the local tax levy approximately 2.5 percent. To achieve that, however, the district will have to both tap into its fund balance and make more than $600,000 in program and staffing cuts.
“It includes cuts and reductions in programs and services throughout our schools,” Squier said, as he discussed the steps he had taken to address the more than $1 million gap between revenues and expenditures which would have existed if the district had rolled over last year’s budget.
According to the superintendent, maintaining the same level of service would require a $401,449 increase in spending, the equivalent of a more than 23 percent hike in the local tax levy.
Squier attributed the gap to both a loss of aid revenue and an increase in expenses over which the district has no control. On the revenue side, Oxford is facing a $428,445 reduction in state aid, the equivalent of 2.5 percent of the district’s total budget. In addition, he explained, the district must also absorb an additional $654,000 in employee benefit related expenditures. This includes an 11 percent increase in health insurance premiums, 21 percent increases in both worker’s compensation and retirement contributions, and a 333 percent increase in unemployment insurance as a result of positions slated for elimination.
There are also contractual obligations, such as approximately $48,000 in salaries for support staff. Estimated salary increases for teachers are also included in the budget, he said, explaining that the district and the Oxford Teachers Association are currently in negotiations. The teachers union’s current contract is set to expire at the end of June.
Helping balance the equation slightly is an additional $84,000 in revenue Oxford will receive back in BOCES aid for outsourcing business office functions to the DCMO BOCES Central Business Office (CBO). And the district will realize a savings of approximately $240,000 in their expenditures to BOCES due to both a decline in the number of students who attended CTE classes at the Chenango Campus this year and the number of students requiring special education services. The district also expects to shave some $51,300 from its utilities costs.
Squier has proposed allocating $300,000 to partially offset the gap, as well as the tax levy increase, which would generate an additional $109,565 in revenue for the district.
According to the superintendent, $607,129 in cuts to the expenditure side of the budget will also be necessary. $121,329 of that will come from program reductions which will affect field trips, summer school, extra curricular activities, athletics, BOCES services, professional development, materials and supplies, transportation and summer hours for school counselors and psychologist.
Despite their best efforts to keep the cuts away from kids, he explained, there is no doubt that students will be affected.
“All of these reductions, they hurt,” Squier said. “(But) something’s got to give.”
The superintendent has also proposed eliminating three programs outright: the summer primary and middle school reading and math program, drivers education and Diploma Bound, a program which helps ease the middle school/high school transitions for at-risk students. The move will save the district a total of $34,000, but it is with reluctance that the recommendation is being made, according to Squier.
“These are things we don’t want to see go,” he said, because they have a positive impact on kids.
Squier’s budget proposal also includes personnel cuts totaling $501,300.
Under the plan, the positions of two administrators – Primary School Principal Tim McDonald and Coordinator of Student Learning Janet Laytham – would be abolished.
