Summer school, the Young Scholars gifted program, several athletic teams and at least 21 full-time equivalent positions are all on the chopping block as Scotia-Glenville schools work to close a budget deficit.

Just maintaining the existing staff and programs adds another $2.5 million to the 2010-2011 budget, with increases in salaries and benefits factored in, and Gov. David Paterson’s has proposed to cut the district’s aid by $2.3 million.

Superintendent Susan Swartz initially presented a $47.28 million budget for the 2010-11 school year. But the Board of Education asked Swartz to shrink it by $350,000 to reduce the projected tax rate increase.

The district will hold two community forums on the budget — 10 a.m. March 13 and 7 p.m. March 17. Both will be at the middle school library.

At the elementary level, the plan calls for not replacing one part-time and two fulltime positions currently held by retiring staff members. There will be an increase in class size for one fifth-grade section. Also being eliminated are two teaching assistants and seven teachers aide, library clerk and door monitor positions.

At the middle and high school levels, Swartz is proposing to cut more than 7 full-time equivalent positions, which could result in some electives being eliminated and class sizes increasing. Also, computer projects and advanced computer projects courses would be eliminated.

Athletics also takes a hit. The plan would eliminate one level of football, one cross country coach, the junior varsity wrestling coach and tournaments, and an outdoor and indoor track coach. It would also combine the seventh- and eighth-grade baseball, boys basketball and girls volleyball teams.

Athletic Director John Geniti told the Board of Education that preference would be given to students with the best athletic skills, rather than grade level. So, an eighthgrader could be shut out of the program if more athletically gifted seventh-graders try out for the team.

In addition to the elimination of golf and swimming, the cheerleading team would be completely self-funded.
Swartz said swimming and golf are the two programs with the highest per-student cost. Eliminating those two saves more than $15,000 in salaries, maintenance costs and greens fees.

All of these cuts — about $2 million in total — would get the tax rate increase to 3.48 percent.

However, another wrinkle is the governor’s proposal to reduce the STAR tax exemption by 7 percent, so that could affect residents’ tax bills, according to school Business Manager Andrew Gianquinto.

Swartz said the forums will begin with a general overview with district officials. Then, residents will be directed to one of three rooms to learn more about either elementary, secondary or districtwide budget cuts and offer their input.

The board took issue with eliminating the Young Scholars program for gifted students, for which the district contracts with BOCES. Last year, the board dropped Young Scholars for fourth- and fifth-graders and in its place created an in-house academic enrichment program called OPAL. It kept Young Scholars for the older grades.

Board member John Yagielski said the board needs to review the program as it promised it would before making any decisions.

Board member Margaret Smith worried about the elimination of summer school.

Swartz said at least for the moment, nearby districts would retain their summer school programs in their budgets, and could accommodate Scotia-Glenville students if need be.

Swartz cautioned the board about adding items back into the budget — as she said happened last year. “By the time we were done, I put everything back in and you were annoyed with me that the budget was higher,” she said.

Board member Ben Conlon said he wanted the district to consider changing the class schedule for its middle and high school students, so perhaps they could save money by having longer periods. He pointed to the roughly one hour a day where students are in homeroom or changing classes. Swartz responded by saying she is doing the best she can to maintain existing programs and it was too late in the school year to talk about a schedule change for next year.