Budget approved, three elected to board

      By a 400-223 vote, Fort Plain residents approved an $18,150,000 budget for 2011-12. Spending will decline by 2.16 percent or $400,000 compared to the current budget. The total tax levy will increase by 2.75 percent. Jeffrey L. Jones, 475 votes; Todd McFee, 473 votes; and David Fredericks, 404 votes, were elected to three-year terms on the board of education.  Dolores Hayes received 310 votes. Richard Nellis withdrew from the race. A total of 660 people voted. 

What are the realities of school budgeting?

     REALITY #1 is that much of a school budget is “untouchable.” For example, a school district cannot cut courses that are required for graduation, eliminate services that are mandated by the state and federal governments or reduce benefits that have been negotiated as part of an employee contract. There are also some parts of the budget that are fully state aidable, such as textbooks and library books. Reducing those lines would only result in a cut in revenues and would save little or nothing for local taxpayers.

       REALITY #2 is that most of the money spent in education is on “people costs.” Every program the district offers, every service it provides, and every task it carries out on behalf of students requires people to do the actual work. That means if school districts are to cut their costs by a substantial amount, they can not avoid cutting people – which not only hurts those whose positions have been eliminated but also adds to the country’s unemployment problems.

       REALITY #3 is that some cuts look good on paper but don’t work out in practice. For example, the elimination of one teaching position can in some cases do more than just raise class sizes. In a district as small as Fort Plain, it can actually make it impossible to schedule every student into their required courses.

Budget 2012-13 News...