The Cooperstown school board met last Wednesday to informally review some of the critical budget issues faced by the district and planned to make a budget presentation at last night's school board meeting.

District superintendent Mary Jo McPhail and business manager James Collison estimated the tax levy increase at roughly ten percent. School board president Kelly Branigan said Friday that she doesn't see any fat in the outlined budget and doesn't predict much of a change.

McPhail, driven by CSE recommendations and student needs, recommended the elimination of one and a half teacher's aide positions. Any members of the staff losing positions to budgetary cutbacks would have first crack at being reinstated in the future. McPhail said the district has budgeted for one or two "just in case" teacher's aides in the past, which has often proved a good move, but this year's picture may not include a similar back up plan.

Other recommendations included increasing the middle school counselor to full time, which has been discussed in the past, adding a half-time remedial high school math teacher, including Driver's Education as part of the regular program and creating a half time teacher's aide position in the computer lab.

"Full time would be absolutely wonderful but I don't know that we can afford it," McPhail said.

School board president Kelly Branigan said that it is customary for the board to discuss adding and losing positions in preliminary budget talks and none of the positions have been eliminated yet.

Driver's Education has been an ongoing topic of discussion among community members, some of whom have spoken in the past at school board meetings to voice concern about the lack of Driver's Ed.

Branigan said the board still has some questions about the cost and practicality of including Driver's Education in the regular school day because of tight schedules and related difficulties. The other option is to offer it as a summer course at shared cost.

Since the Otsego County Correctional Facility is in the Cooperstown district, CCS shoulders the cost of educating incarcerated youth in the jail-even for prisoners hailing from beyond district borders, school board member Mark Rathbun said. Alternative programs have decreased the number of convicts and the amount of the state aid, based on that number. Still, Rathbun said, instruction must be provided at the same cost. Male and female inmates must be educated separately.

Another change stemming directly from September 11, said Collison, is the refinancing of bonds. CCS currently has three projects affected by this change, and Collison is applying for a waiver for two of them, the 1995 addition and an energy performance contract from 1998.

"Anyone can apply for a waiver," he said, "but the state decides who gets them."

Only two years were remaining on one of the bonds, Collison said, but because of the new mandate, the district will likely be shelling out payments for the next twelve years.

The district was blindsided by a thirty percent hike in health care costs and a freeze on BOCES aid last year. The fiscal condition of New York state isn't helping. The district, Branigan said, may still hear from teachers who plan to retire, and this number could affect the budget. Otherwise, it's necessary for the district to keep its fleet of buses in good repair, she said, and to keep up with maintenance to avoid "getting hit in the future."

The next budget workshop will be held on March 13.

"At that meeting, we'll try to finalize the budget, which will be adopted by the board on April 3," Branigan said.

Branigan said the district is greatly bolstered by Collison's "conservative and careful" approach.

"He's upfront, honest and careful," she said, which helps the district avoid some of the budgetary problems they could face without him.