During its second budget workshop, held last Wednesday evening, the Cooperstown Central School Board of Education changed the spending plan slightly for the 2004- 2005 school year, resulting in an decrease in the tax levy to 7.4 percent.

"If the state come across with more aid, we'll use it to reduce taxes," CCS Business Manager Jim Collison said.

The board cut a little over $40,000 since the first presentation on the budget, two weeks ago, said Collison.

Broken down in more detail, he stated, that approximately $22,000 has been cut for a science teacher and guidance counselor replacement, $11,000 has been cut for a bus driver position and $7,000 was cut when the board changed a typist's position to half time.

With one less bus driver, Collison explained, one bus run will be eliminated and others will be consolidated.

School board member Tony Scalici recently summed up next year's budget. "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."

One of the biggest increases was in the school's employee benefits which reached just over $356,000 from last year, Superintendent Mary Jo McPhail said recently. According to the budget, contributions to state retirement contracts have increased approximately $25,500, teacher retirement by $168,400, health insurance by $139,000 and worker's compensation by approximately $5,000.

Several other increases in spending were due to scheduled maintenance repairs and additional technology for student and faculty use.

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.

Discussions were held about adding a junior varsity baseball team for next year, but was declined.

The school board will vote on the proposed budget on April 7.