February 2, 2010 Senator Roy McDonald Dear Senator McDonald: We all concur that these are extraordinarily difficult economic times that will require us to make tough decisions today in the hopes of a better tomorrow. In so many words, our day of reckoning has arrived. For school superintendents, this means the daunting reality of significant budget casualties as we confront the prospects of staff reductions, elimination of educational programs, and the reduction or elimination of many intramural and interscholastic athletic programs. Districts will also be compelled to dip into their rainy day funds and utilize their undesignated reserves as revenues, with the understanding that at some future point this revenue gap will need to be mitigated by additional state aid, property taxes, or both. These difficult times will unquestionably force school districts to shift costs to the taxpayers in the form of property taxes. On January 19, 2010, Governor Patterson released his 2010-2011 education budget. He promulgated a budget that reduced educational funding by only 5%. However, his specific budget allocations to school districts do not convey the entire truth as his numbers are distorted by the addition of expense driven aids into his calculations. Each year districts that invest in capital expenditures or have expenses for transportation, BOCES, or special education services are reimbursed for these expenses the following year. The truth is if you look at any school district's year to year aid without the expense driven aids included, many districts have realized a double digit decrease to their projected state aid. What is particularly disconcerting is how the "pain" of these budget reductions will be distributed statewide to public schools. One would surmise that our poorest schools (high need districts whose combined wealth ratio is under .65) would endure the least amount pain in the form of state aid reductions. Logically, our average need districts (CWI .65 to 1.0) would then realize more significant reductions. Finally, our state's wealthiest schools (CWI >1.0) would experience the largest reductions in state aid. Unfortunately, we have thrown away the baby with the bath water as there is an absence of logic to the Governor's state aid reduction proposal. Please take a few minutes to review the following table comparing my school district, the Stillwater Central School District, with other low need school districts. You will see clearly that the Governor's proposal does not equitably share the pain of proposed state aid reductions.
Again, I do not wish to argue the point these are tough economic times where we all need to tighten the belt. I and other superintendents across the state will not abrogate the immense responsibility and challenge to lead in these difficult times. We will make the tough decisions. However, I ask that you continue to advocate for our schools, particularly as it relates to fairness and equity of state aid reductions. Please keep in mind the example of my school district, which must assume more than 1.1 million dollars in state aid reductions and still contend with increases in contractual salaries, ERS/TRS contributions, and health insurance. Without some remedy at the state level, superintendents will be marching to a May budget vote much like General Custer did at Little Bighorn. As always, I am appreciative of your continued support for public education. Thank you! Respectfully, Dr. Stanley W. Maziejka
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09.07.10
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