Carmel School Board Considers Cutting 16 Full Time Positions
Carmel School District Board of Education is considering cutting approximately 16 full-time equivalent positions to help reduce the operating budget to under the $113 million maximum allowable tax cap.
As discussion on what to do concerning the budget progresses continues, the board is looking into various district components that will be subject to cuts.
The district has been broken up into what the board calls “cost centers.” There are six—instruction, administration, support staff, programs, services, and equipment/supplies. Each section has been allotted with the amount of revenue the district is looking to gain from them. With the addition of a $46,584adjustments to the district’s health plan, the board has achieved a total of $1,918,018 in cuts.
This brings the budget down to a prospective $112,966,757 operating budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. This is $1,918,018 lower than the current operating budget for the district.
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One of the highlights of the proposed budget includes the $1,266,926 made in the instructional cost center.
If the budget passes, the district will lose about 16 full-time equitant positions. This includes 5 positions lost in special education and one position lost in the music department.
According to Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Personnel Andy Irvin, a number of factors will go into how the district decides to move with the rest of the music faculty.
“It will be a scheduling decision for how we move forward with the remaining staff. That may be a reduced number of performance groups, a reduced number of bands, a reduced number of orchestras and choirs,” said Irvin. “That may be something we may decide based upon student interest through the scheduling process. “
Irving also mentioned that, with the loss of many FTEs, students will not get as much chances to participate in various programs.
“We are not going to eliminate certain programs but we will be reducing kids’ access to them,” he said.
In addition to instruction, the board will be making reducing expenses from the other cost centers: $71,800 from the administration cost center, $68,768 from the support staff cost center, $17,876 from programs, $207,440 from services, $256,500 from equipment/supplies and $46,584 in adjustments to health plans.
John Gamby, a father of three children in the district, suggested a new way for the district to generate revenue. Gamby says that students from the district, who go to summer school, should have to pay for it. “For the most part I think kids who are in summer school are the kids who haven’t applied themselves throughout the year,” he said. “I think we need to hold children accountable and I think we need to hold parents accountable.” Gamby did acknowledge however, that he understands in some cases, mitigating circumstances prevent a child from having academic success during the school year.
Currently, only out -of-distinct students have to pay to take summer school at Carmel schools. The board admitted that they are not sure if charging in-district students for summer school is legal, but said they would look into it.
The next board of education meeting is scheduled for Tuesday April, 9. For more information on the proposed 2013-2014 budget visit carmelschools.org
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
