CHERRY VALLEY - A revenue shortfall in the proposed budget for the coming year will force numerous staff cuts in Cherry Valley-Springfield school district.

The cuts will be made across the board and include two classroom teaching positions, three teacher assistants and three teacher aides.

School superintendent Thomas Marzeski said Tuesday morning that the spending projections in the budget have been pared back to total less than a one percent increase over this year, but will result in a tax levy jump of 7.7 percent.

Those figures are down from original estimates in February which called for an 5 percent increase in spending and a 24 percent increase in the tax levy.

Marzeski said the board of education formed a budget committee to find cost containment measures to bring the tax levy increase down to more acceptance level.

The committee, made up of three board members, district business official Vicky Gaughan and the superintendent, reviewed the budget and found $400,000 in savings - almost entirely through reductions in staff.

The spending cuts, presented to the board in a special meeting Monday night, dropped the total spending in the budget proposal from just over $10 million to slightly more than $9.6 million, an increase of approximately $80,000 over this year's budget.

Staff cuts in administration will include one administrative assistant a part-time clerical employee.

One and a half full-time cleaning positions will be eliminated.

Two bus driver/monitor jobs have been cut, but should not change bus routes, according to Gaughan, who added that the reduction was possible, in part, because of declining enrollment.

Instructional positions include a reduction for each of two speech instructors, a cut from five days to four for one person in the guidance staff and home and careers will also be reduced.

The number of chaperones for athletic events will be reduced from two to one and non-league games will be limited for sports teams.

Gaughan said retirements may affect the distribution of the staff cuts, but the district won't know if any teachers plan to retire until after the May 15 deadline for them to make their decision.

The staff cuts will reduce some options for students, but Marzeski said the have maintained many program options for students and not cut electives or advanced placement classes. Sports and extra-curricular actives are also preserved in the budget.

Staff cuts are something you try to avoid, he said, but with salaries making up the largest expense for the district sometimes there is little choice.

Marzeski said the district was hit with $33,000 worth of increased cost for fuel oil; $9,000 in additional health insurance costs and $160,000 in unanticipated special education spending.

Those higher costs coupled with no increase in operating aid in a number of years and a diminished fund balance resulted in the disproportionate jump in tax levy with a small hike in spending.

Another factor is the loss of merger aid.

"We no longer receive additional state support as a merged district, Marzeski said. "The merger, which took place 14 years ago, has provided many benefits to the students of both communities. Now that the merger incentive money is no longer being provided by New York State, our goal will be to maintain a strong educational program within the financial limits provided by state and local support that is available."