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Home Page   Local News   Local Sports   Community Calendar   Opinion   Editorials   Columns   Letters to the Editor   Archives   News Archives   Sports Archives	10-25-2007 Budget work to start early By MICHELLE MILLER Staff Writer The Cooperstown Central School Board of Education will begin its budget planning for the 2008-09 school year earlier than normal with a work session that will be held on Thursday, Nov. 1, in the middle/ high school cafeteria at 7 p.m. Parents and district residents are being encouraged to participate. CCS Superintendent Mary Jo McPhail said the Board of Education typically works on budget plans during the months of January and February and truly starts focusing on it in March. "We have had work sessions in the month of February before," said McPhail, "but this is the first year we have had one this early to my knowledge." McPhail said the board wants to start early this year because many residents do not live in the district year round and the board wants to make sure all voices are heard. She said the goal is to get some sort of direction from district residents. A media release from McPhail said, "The purpose of the work session is for the Board of Education to hear from parents and members of the community as to their expectations regarding what they desire and value for a public education program at CCS." McPhail said the public has always been encouraged to contribute to the decision making process when formulating budget plans and the only difference this year is they are being asked earlier. The work session will be facilitated by a member of the Board of Education and will be open to the public. According to the release, district staff will provide historical data pertaining to budget increases, impact on the tax levy, State aid, employee salaries and benefits, energy costs, enrollment, staffing, class size, and extra-curricular participation. Also prospective costs, those presently known, for the 2008-09 year will be shared, along with the ramifications of putting forward a budget reflecting a zero balance. "The costs are very preliminary at this point because it is so early," McPhail said. However, McPhail said if a budget increase does not get public support, the school will have to look at saving money by cutting day-to-day programs, athletics and extracurricular activities. "This is something that will be part of the discussion on Nov. 1," McPhail said. McPhail said the district has eliminated staff positions in the past, but she said the state and federal mandates have required the school to add positions as well. "We will have to do a balance sheet of the two of those," McPhail said.
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