Cooperstown school district taxpayers are currently faced with a 14 percent increase in the amount the school will raise in property taxes this year.

Superintendent of schools Mary Jo McPhail said at a school board meeting last Wednesday night that it is crucial for voters to understand that the budget has been "pared down as much as possible by the principals," by herself and by district business manager Jim Collison.

"Fourteen percent is going to be a hard sell," said board member Cathe Ellsworth, "but on the other side of the coin, I don't know what you're going to cut."

The board planned to meet in a special session last night to discuss ways in which the budget could be further minimized.

"This is very much a work in progress," said McPhail. "We've been working diligently since the school board meeting to come in with lower figures."

The current budget, said McPhail, does not include any new programs or innovations, but rather is aimed at sustaining the current programs and staff. The mood of the board was somber as they discussed the necessity for educating the public about what might happen should the district find itself reliant upon a contingency budget.

"We need to convince the community," said board member Dr. Margaret Young, "that this is the only thing we can do for the children."

Ellsworth said, "It has nothing to do with whether or not you have children in the district. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people complain about not having children in the district when taxes increase, but all I can really say about that is that somebody paid for them to go to school, and now it's their turn to pay."

Costs driving the budget include the purchase of two additional school buses, salary increases at a total of $460,000, fringe benefits like health care at an increased cost of $163,000, a $60,000 BOCES capital projects increase, the continued infrastructure upgrade and new furniture for the middle/high school office as well as new desks for students.

McPhail said that a $150,000 fund balance would be used to offset expenses, but that this figure is just an estimate.

Another thorn in the board's side is the possibility that the state may renege on a ten percent capital projects bonus - the very promise that inspired districts like Cooperstown to initiate building projects. The solution, Collison said, is for districts to find a way to finance these projects longer. Not to mention the fact that the state budget may not be completed until the fall, said McPhail.

Board members discussed the possibility of going to Albany and lobbying for better treatment and greater concern to keep schools from having to guess the number of dollars they'll get from the state.

Board vice-president Mark Rathbun said that he found it depressing to have to go out under such conditions, presenting a budget to the public with a worst-case scenario line from the state. McPhail predicted that there would be an increase in state revenue, but how much or when the information will be out is a mystery.

McPhail said that the district can put the budget out once for a vote, on May 16, and if it is defeated twice, the contingency budget will go into effect. A contingency budget can, at most, be four percent over the prior year's budget. Already, this budget is over six percent higher than last year's. In the case of a contingency budget being adopted, an additional $434,000 would have to be cut off.

McPhail said that this would present the district with an extremely painful problem.

"I look at what we're able to do while we're under the state average, and I wonder what we could do at or above the state average," said McPhail. At $7,750 spent per pupil, the district is approximately $2,000 under the state average, although business manager James Collison said that this figure takes into account all districts, not just those of comparable size.

Young pointed out that the only recourse, should the budget be defeated, is to cut programs and personnel. Board president Kelly Branigan said that sports and extracurriculars might have to be cut first. Ellsworth felt that this was not a viable solution. Either way, it would translate into lost opportunities, programs and experiences for children, said McPhail.

Once all the details have been worked out, the budget will be adopted on April 6 and voted on by district residents on May 16.