Herricks Board Explains Monetary Impact of Potential Cuts

The Herricks Board of Education meeting allowed members of the community to listen and discuss the 2012-2013 budget on Thursday night at the . 

Dr. John Bierwirth started off the budget discussion by saying under the , the board will have to cut $3.4 million, down from a previous $3.7 million.

“The tax increase, as we had discussed, had been 2.67 percent because a certain portion of the excess retirement was above the two percent,” Bierwirth explained. “We are now down to 2.02 percent, the only part that is above the two percent is the excess in the employee’s retirement system.”   

There are currently two pension systems, one of which has a substantial increase, but the increase for the teacher’s system is less than what would push it above what the tax cap law defines as excessive, Bierwirth said.

In , residents suggested possible places for cuts and the board brought forth a list of 21 possibilities with quick estimates of how much would be saved.  

“These are estimates only,” Bierwith said. “We would have to spend time working them out in detail to be sure…We do not have the ramifications for those because I wouldn’t just want to do things off the top of my head…We really don’t know those until we sit down with staff and work it through.”

Of the 21 possibilities listed, the top ones for discussion were:

1. Limiting students to a maximum of either eight, seven or six-periods a day, which would save between $100,000 and $1 million depending on how many periods were chosen. But this would also limit the number of courses the students could take and staff would therefore be reduced proportionately.
2. Reducing kindergarten to a half-day program or eliminating it all together, which could save between $550,000 and $1.2 million, but then parents would have to find a program out of district or pay for full-day kindergarten through fees.
3. Increasing the mileage to New York State minimums for busing, which reduce 16 buses to nine. This would save $450,000; however, this could only be done by public referendum.
4. Adopting a “Princeton Plan” for kids at the elementary level, which would reorganize the elementary schools with all classes in a grade in one building. This option would save between $200,000 and $300,000.

Some residents were especially upset with the idea of eliminating kindergarten all together and didn’t see why the board would even suggest that, but Dr. Bierwirth and Board President Christine Turner both reiterated that it was just a suggestion from somebody and doesn’t mean it will happen.

“There is nothing on [the list], nothing—and I think I speak for the entire board when I say this—that any of us would want to take away because…these are programs that we introduced and put forth because our goal is to make this the best district as possible and to offer the most so students can reach their maximum potential,” Turner said.

Other suggestions on the list included delaying the start of instrumental music from grade three to grade four; eliminating a second language in grade six and allowing grade six students that extra time for lunch; eliminating Gemini the Boston trip or GeeseOff; and cutting high school drama and reducing clubs or interscholastic athletics.

 “We’re being pushed into a corner by the state and this two percent cap, we are being forced into many of these decisions because of that situation,” Turner said. “Nobody every brought these topics up before, but now we’re looking at ways to keep the district kind-of like what it is, but to try and look for ways to find this money to get us through these times."