The Cooperstown Central School Board of Education discussed the proposed 2004-2005 budget of $13.7 million last Wednesday, which calls for a spending increase of 4.8 percent over last year and a hike of 7.9 percent for the tax levy.

Superintendent of Schools Mary Jo McPhail stated that the budget numbers will change because programs are currently being reviewed.

"There is nothing new in this budget. This is a strictly pure maintenance budget. We didn't cut anything and we didn't add anything," said board member Tony Scalici at the completion of his first review of the preliminary budget last week.

"This really is not taking any steps forward, that's true," McPhail commented. "But it really is not taking any steps back."

Board member Rosemary Craig emphasized that one of the largest increases in spending is from mandated employee benefit contributions.

The increase in the school's employee benefits reached just over $356,000 over last year, McPhail said. Contributions to state retirement contracts have increased approximately $25,500, teacher retirement by $168,400 and health insurance by $139,000.

"Which is no surprise because of economics," McPhail commented.

The contribution to worker's compensation has also increased by approximately $5,000, McPhail said.

The proposed budget called for principals' salary increases, from just under 3 percent to 4.5 percent. Superintendent McPhail is in line to receive a 5.5 percent raise to increase her salary to almost $113,000 a year.

Approximately $27,000 was budgeted in for incoming high-needs special education students, said McPhail.

Under operations and grounds, the budget calls for an estimated $30,000 for the repairing the service drive road at the elementary school, $15,000 for an oil tank replacement and $10,000 for sidewalk repair around the bus loop at the elementary school.

Additional computer hardware is to be purchased including 80 desktop computers to be cycled throughout classrooms, projection units, laptops and pilot personal digital assistants.

Teresa Gorman, elementary school principal, reported that a new item listed in the budget for the elementary grades is the addition of two wall mounted TV/VCR/DVD systems. The systems will also be computer compatible, she added.

Director of P.E., Health and Athletics and Middle School Principal Mike Cring stated that $5,000 had been added for contractual expenses of increased officiating costs for interscholastic athletics. He said officiating costs had been increasing and no money had been added to the school budget since he had been working at CCS.

Cring also mentioned the possibility of purchasing spotting towers for the football field at a cost of approximately $4,000.

Scalici stated his concern and confusion as to why there is an increase in the tax rate of 6.9 percent when nothing new has really been added.

McPhail said she would consider bringing back ideas for the school board to consider in regard to CCS programs.