Chappaqua School Budget Proposes 33 Staff Cuts
Deep staff cuts and larger class sizes likely await the Chappaqua school community next year following the release of Interim Superintendent John Chambers’ proposed $111.3 million budget Tuesday night.
More than 200 residents filled Horace Greeley High School’s auditorium as Chambers proposed reducing the staff by 33 positions, including the equivalent of 15 full-time teaching slots that will affect every major subject area. Four teacher assistants and 14 non-instructional staff members are also slated to be cut. In all, spending will increase by 1.78 percent, a $1.9 million hike.
“While the reduced (number of ) positions is difficult to contemplate, we hope it will bring this budget to a level that’s acceptable,” Chambers said.
Under the proposal, some grades will see higher class sizes depending on projected enrollment for next year. Taking the biggest hit are the seventh and eighth grades at Seven Bridges Middle School where there will be two fewer teachers for each of those two grades and increases in average class size to close to the 25-student contractual limit. Middle school enrollment is projected to rise by 43 students, 35 of them at Seven Bridges, Chambers said.
Michele Gregson, the parent of a current Seven Bridges sixth-grader, said the school “is being screwed” compared to Robert E. Bell Middle School, which is not being asked to absorb cuts.
The tax rate increase has not been calculated and is expected to be released the first week in April. The district will discuss the budget relating to curriculum at its next meeting on March 1, followed by special education and operations and maintenance on March 15 and athletics on March 29. The tax rate and fund balance issues will be discussed on April 5 followed by budget adoption on April 12.
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