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MONTROSE, N.Y. – The Hendrick Hudson School District must cut $2.6 million from its budget to come under New York State’s 2 percent tax cap law, but where those savings will come from remains elusive. Budget presentations are scheduled through April 11, the program budget being the largest presentation, accounting for 78 percent of the district’s budget.
Program budget presentations will take place on Feb. 29 and March 14. So far, administrative, technology and athletics budgets have been presented, with small cuts or increases. District officials told residents during the public comment section of the agenda that the transportation budget would not be available for another four weeks. It remains to be seen where much of the savings the district must find to come under the 2 percent tax cap will come from.
“I’m going to be taking no increase this next year,” said McCann during the meeting. Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests regarding McCann’s compensation were referred to the Empire Center’s “See Through NY” website by the district clerk. The site lists McCann’s salary as $279,227 for the 2011 fiscal year, and $259,097 for the 2010 fiscal year.
As per McCann's contract for the 2006 through 2009 fiscal years, McCann was entitled to a 3 percent pay increase annually, and the board is entitled to award an additional merit increase. FOIL requests for McCann's contract through the 2012 fiscal year only provided the 2006 to 2009 contract, 3 percent of McCann's 2011 salary is $8,377.
All budgets presented by district officials are preliminary at this point, most wavered between small increases and small decreases. The athletic budget took a 5.6 percent hit or $33,133, which director Tom Baker said would not affect programming. The athletics budget represents 0.78 percent of the district’s targeted $70,696,560 budget.
Technology increased slightly at $13,222, or 2 percent. The technology budget represents 0.87 percent of the district’s target budget.
The district’s administration budget, as presented at the Jan. 25 meeting, increased by $66,301, which represents 7 percent of the total budget and includes curriculum development, administrators and support staff.
The final budget vote will be on May 15, there is a public hearing on the budget scheduled for May 2.
Comments (5)
The district cuts substitute pay by 10% making them the lowest paid subs in Westchester/Rockland, yet the administration takes no cut. McCann makes $279,000, a 38% increase in 6 years! Why doesn't he take the lead and cut his pay, and that of the two assistant superintendents by 10%. That would show real leadership and open the road to meaningful negotiations with the unions.
The unfunded mandates need to be addressed- no doubt- but the district has more control of the union demands and needs to play hardball.
The majority of school budgets goes towards teachers salaries and benefits...that is where the focus must be, including administrators they cannot be left out of these discussions.
I wonder how much we will have to spend this year on retirement costs and unfunded mandates vs. last year? More and more of our budget is going to these expenses so that means less for education and infrastructure. Ironic that to continue to pay, in many cases for decades, generous pensions and health care benefits for retired and soon-to-retire teachers, we will need to employ fewer teachers. Yet the tenure system insures that we will not be employing fewer, better teachers, on balance, or substituting strong new teachers, with whom we can negotiate more realistic benefits (theoretically), for teachers who underperform. Also ironic that mandates that improve education for a few draw down resources for educating the many. I sympathize with our Supervisor and the school board. They are contending with non-negotiable spiraling costs for benefits and unfunded mandates, intractable union demands, and a dwindling pot of money to actually do the job of teaching our kids.
Start with major concessions from the upper administration regarding compensation and benefits, then move on to the unions- the taxpayers are being pitted against there own children in order to pay for ever increasing retirement, healthcare and compensation for the staff- the union should be presented with the following- we are going to cut this amount of jobs unless you give back this amount in concessions in your contracts- if they were smart, rather than having there membership slashed, maybe they could actually help themselves and the taxpayers they work for.