The Town of Webb Board of Education has approved a budget for the 2011–12 school year, which includes $7,552,866 in spending, a 3.25 percent decrease from the previous year’s budget of $7,806,567, according to Superintendent of Schools Donald Gooley.
There are really no surprises or unexpected costs involved, according to Gooley.
“It’s basically a status quo budget,” he said.
“We held the line where we could and were able to reduce costs in some areas,” he added.
Gooley said that last year the district offered state retirement incentives, which allowed it to replace some higher-paid veteran teachers with ones that were lower on the salary schedule.
That not only reduced the district’s salary expense, but also the amount it contributes to teachers’ social security and retirement.
Basically the retirement incentive allowed veteran teachers to be credited with up to three additional years of teaching if they would agree to retire early, Gooley said.
And not all retiring teachers were replaced, which amounted to additional savings, according to Gooley.
The tax levy—the amount to be collected from property owners in order to fund the budget—also decreased in the new budget.
It would go down 4.72 percent, from $5,569,297 in 2010–11 to $5,306,610.
And New York State’s cuts to education funding, which many districts continue to anguish over, will not have much effect on the Town of Webb.
Gooley said the amount of state aid lost locally will be relatively insignificant.
“Probably less than $20,000,” he said.
The reason being the Town of Webb is not a state-aid dependent district, according to Gooley.
“State aid is based on a ‘CWR’ or Combined Wealth Ratio, which is the value of the land and the income of the people,” he said.
“And though our income of the people is probably average, the value of the land is very, very high.”
Then add Webb’s small student population, and the state just doesn’t see much need for aid, as has been the case for many years, according to Gooley.
As for Webb’s student enrollment, Gooley said the trend appears to be more positive.
“Our enrollment has leveled off the last two years around 291, and hopefully the years of declining enrollment are over.”
And the district’s budget needs are also projected to be in a good direction next year, according to Gooley.
“I think it¸’s a good budget,” he said.
It decreases costs and makes operations more efficient, he added.
“It allows us to reach our goals and objectives for the year.”
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The Town of Webb Board of Education has scheduled three public meetings about the proposed school budget, which are as follows:
• Monday, May 2 at 7 p.m., at the Big Moose Fire Hall.
• Wednesday, May 4, 7 p.m., at the Woodgate Free Library.
• Tuesday, May 10, at 7 p.m., in the Town of Webb UFSD Gymnasion at Old Forge.
Interested community members are encouraged to bring their questions to the forums.
School district voters will be able to vote on the budget on Tuesday, May 17, from 2 to 9 p.m., in the Town of Webb School gymnasium.
Voters will also decide who will serve a five-year term on the Town of Webb Board of Education.
The seat, which is due to expire, is currently held by Jane Slack. Slack intends to seek reelection.
A third ballot proposal will ask Town of Webb voters whether the board of education should reduce its membership from seven to five.
Currently, the terms of Board of Education members Sharon Finkle-Kleps, Kathleen Nahor and Julie Zaykoski are scheduled to expire on June 30, 2012.
If the voters agree to reduce the board from seven to five members beginning on July 1, 2012, only one board seat will be vacant and voted upon in May 2012.
That would mean only one of the current board members with terms set to expire—Finkle-Kleps, Nahor and Zaykoski—could potentially return to the board.
