Budget News
Green Island’s 2010-11 budget off to a tough start
District’s conservative budgeting will prevent staff reductions, spending cuts
In the summer of 2008, the state comptroller’s office chastised Green Island schools for having too large a rainy day fund — three times as much as is allowed by law.
Board of Education President Norman Stebbins and Superintendent John McKinney maintained in a letter to the comptroller that the district had to have a sufficient rainy day fund because of its small size.
Let’s face it — if a boiler stops working or a roof starts leaking, it doesn’t cost Green Island less to repair or replace.
This year, beginning with Governor David Paterson’s attempt to cut state aid in December followed by an across-the-board 5 percent aid cut proposed in January, the rain has begun to pour on school districts across New York.
McKinney said the money accrued through conservative budgeting that was criticized by the comptroller will keep Green Island a bit greener than its neighbors this year.
A public hearing on the 2010-11 budget will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 6. The community will consider the budget and one open Board of Education seat on May 18, the day of the budget vote.
Gap Elimination Adjustment cuts $318,277
With the state facing an $8 billion budget gap, Paterson has proposed a Gap Elimination Adjustment against every school district’s aid total for 2010-11. For Green Island, that meant an immediate state aid reduction of $318,277.
When taking into account the usual “rollover” budget costs to maintain the same program and staff as now exists, the total shortfall is $813,819 as the district begins planning for the 2010-11 budget.
McKinney said there are no plans for staff reductions or drastic spending cuts in the next school year.
Healthy rainy day fund
He said the district has enough set aside to weather the storm — at least for this year. “We were frugal and built a good rainy day fund at Green Island,” he said. “That helps us get through the bad years — and this is going to be a bad year.”
The Board of Education has kept the tax rate the same for the past three years. While it’s too early to know whether that will continue for a fourth year in 2010-11, McKinney said the poor economy has hit Green Island very hard.
“I think we all have to be aware of what is going on in the community right now,” said McKinney. “Our community is made up of people being hurt the most by this recession and it’s not recovering as fast as we would hope.”
