OXFORD – Oxford taxpayers will face an estimated 1.99 tax levy hike based on the tentative budget adopted by the school board Monday. The proposed spending plan, which voters will be asked to approve on May 17, totals $16,935,666. According to Superintendent Randy Squier, that figure represents a $87,354, or .51 percent, decrease in spending over the current year’s budget.
“I am optimistic the community will understand this budget proposal to be responsible, and a good faith effort to balance the needs of our students with the what our community can afford to support,” Squier said.
Oxford, like all districts across New York, is facing steep reductions in state aid in the coming year, while at the same time seeing pension contributions and employee benefit related expenses climb.
“We are faced with a loss of aid totaling $411,000,” the administrator reported. Coupled with an anticipated $380,000 increase in retirement system contributions and a $148,000 jump in health care premiums, the district started this year’s budget process with a $939,000 gap.
That gap doesn’t include any salary increases. As it started its budget planning, the district had open contracts with all three of its collective bargaining units. According to Squier, agreements have now been reached with two of the three – the Oxford Teacher’s Association and the administrator’s union. Details of the contracts have not yet been released.
Oxford will need more than a 1.99 percent tax levy increase to balance the budget. The tentative spending plan will also require the district to make a number of personnel and program cuts, as well as dip into its reserves.
The plan will eliminate a total of five jobs, including one part- and two full-time teachers, one LTA and one teacher’s aide. In addition, three positions – an art teacher and two teacher aides – will be reduced to part time.
Program cuts will include a $7,226 reduction in spending for the business office; a $40,847 decrease in the maintenance/operation budget; a $9,625 drop in professional development spending; as well as an estimated 20 percent decrease in materials, supply and contractual items.
The special education component of the budget will also be cut by $163,840. According to Squier, this is a result of both staff reductions and fewer students requiring BOCES services.
Similarly, the counseling services budget will see a decrease of $115,492. The superintendent said this is the savings realized by two retirements which occurred late in the 2009-10 academic year.
