Blind Brook Digs Into School Budget; Answers Questions About Ice Hockey

Monday night, the Blind Brook School District will hold another session like the one held this past Saturday. For the third year in a row, there was a special weekend meeting so more community members could get information and ask questions about the .

The Saturday morning session in Blind Brook High School library stretched into early afternoon as administrators went in-depth with presentations from the elementary, middle and high schools; athletics, transportation and other departments. The next session Monday night is another opportunity for comments and questions.

“The hope is that once the detail is out, that will spark discussion on a range of issues,” said superintendent William Stark.

School board members and the community have now had several weeks to contemplate the draft budget and its moving parts. The bottom line is that the 2011/12 budget proposal projects a 1.56 percent increase in spending from last year. To cover the modest gain in spending, the superintendent’s budget proposes a 1.95 percent tax levy increase. Tax levy funds represent over 85 percent of the school district’s revenue, with little relief anticipated from Albany.

Assistant superintendent Dr. Jonathan Ross said that as of January, there is currently an anticipated fund balance of about 4.6 percent, approximately $1.4 million in surplus funds that could be tapped as a buffer against even higher tax levies. But that strategy would come with potential worries.

“Whenever we talk about appropriating amounts from fund balances, you have to be able to replace that or you will have a negative impact on budgets going forward,” said Ross.

Sometimes called ‘rainy day accounts,’ the return on fund balances is not a sure safety net for school districts these days. Earned interest on the fund balances are down 35 percent, according to Ross.

The board has asked administrators to prepare several potential scenarios as it moves toward a final proposal in April; including a straightforward rollover budget that assumes a 4.5 percent increase in spending and other more conservative models ranging from a 2 percent tax increase all the way down to a 0.5 percent decrease.

Ross said that it seemed unlikely Albany would enact and enforce the widely discussed 2 percent tax cap on school district spending for the 2011-12 fiscal year.

A plea to reinstate ice hockey sparked a lengthy discussion Saturday. After administrator James Spano reported the proposed budget would allow the district “to maintain all existing [athletics] programs at modified, JV and varsity levels,” parent Gary Jacobs made a passionate presentation asking the board to give the previously cut ice hockey program “its fair share” by providing at least partial funding for the program.

Spano explained that more than student interest had gone into the decision calculus for the athletic budget.

“You have to make decisions based on number of students impacted,” said Spano. “We have to look at the number impacted and a lot of other variables.” At $30,000 for 12 students, Spano said the cost of the ice hockey program was out of reach for the district.

School board president Steven Kaplan went into more detail, explaining the history of the ice hockey cut had its roots “from a decision to spend no more than $750 per student threshold for a sport.” Kaplan said that ice hockey costs from $2500 to $3000 per student.

Kaplan said the dilemma of the ice hockey program would be taken under further consideration because it gave the opportunity to clarify the issue of booster clubs.

Parents of children playing for the Rye Town Titans raised approximately $30,000 according to Jacobs and Spano after the sport was cut from the school board budget.

As more pressure is put on districts to limit spending increases– with little leeway from fixed costs like salaries and benefits and only so much to be expected from tax increases– more and more districts will be looking to booster clubs and parent organizations to supplement program offerings.

Kaplan said legal counsel was currently exploring the appropriate role of the outside groups in providing funding for student programs.  Kaplan said "consistency and fairness" had to be considered in any decision about possible funding for ice hockey or other programs.

There are two budget discussions remaining: March 7 and 21, 8 p.m. in the Blind Brook High School library.

Ed. note- Correction was made to Mr. William Stark's honorific.