KP Board of Education Considers Teaching Cuts in Midst of Budget Shortfall

The Kings Park Board of Education met Tuesday evening in one of a series of ongoing budget workshops to decide how a projected $2.5 million budget gap will be solved, prompting talk of teacher position cuts as well as program cuts.

The gap remains even after a proposed dip into $5.1 million of the more that $9 million in reserves that the school currently has. In order to meet that gap it is likely that seven teaching positions will be eliminated. Those job losses will affect the elementary level the hardest due declining enrollment as well as budget cuts. According to Ralph Cartisano, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Personnel, those who may possibly be affected have been notified.

“We certainly take the opportunity to speak to them. Anybody who is vulnerable due to seniority is aware,” said Cartisano.

Class sizes are expected to increase as well as teachers are eliminated and grades run with fewer sections and more pupils per class.

“Classes will be bigger, but we are still down below levels you see at other districts,” said Kings Park School Superintendent, Dr. Susan Agruso. “The next cuts will affect programs, we have nothing left to cut. We take teacher cuts very seriously,” she said.

The soundness of the proposed budget of $80,960,121,  is a number that both audience members as well as the board questioned as possibly being too high.

Historically, the school’s final budget and its actual expenditures have left money over from year to year, which is a common practice in most districts. The June 2005 final budget was $56,840,910 versus an actual dollars spent of $54,867,987 leaving more than $2.6 million left over, which is then put into the following year’s budget. That residual money has increased year after year leaving the 2010 budget under spent by more than $5.1 million dollars.

Spending projections are made on what Agruso calls worst-case scenario figures.

“You make your estimates based on the worst case scenario. There is going to be left over money in all of our budget categories if we don't meet the worst case scenario," she said.

State aid cuts of $2.3 million have contributed to the budget shortfall as well as increasing health insurance costs, social security and retirement contributions.

“I personally would not feel comfortable accepting $5 million left over at the end of the year,” said school board trustee Steve Weber.

However, it was the opinion of Assistant Superintendent for Finance, Dr. Philip Kenter who believes that close management and cuts on mid-year spending have led the district to be in a surplus position, which has contributed to almost $9 million in reserve money.

“The last two years are the direct result of the fiscal responsibility, which started right at the top with our superintendent,” said Kenter.

Some in the audience questioned if these cuts were at the expense of the students. Agruso assures them that they were not.

“All three years I have been here we have cut spending in the fall. We have taken away frills and supplies,” said Agruso. “Even though we have stopped spending, we haven’t cut programs,” she said.

Schools districts of similar size such as Hauppauge are also facing cuts. That district is proposing an elimination of

Kenter cautioned the board on Tuesday to deplete the reserves or there would be nothing left for next year’s budget.

There are three remaining open budget workshops left; March 22, 26 and 31.

Revenue Variance