The voters of the Tioga Central School District have been presented with a stark choice on May 19, when school districts will put their 2015-16 budgets before the voters for an up or down vote. Do they want to ensure their kids will be provided with the education, which Tioga Central has become known for over the years, or do they want to be able to eat after paying their school taxes.
There is no easy answer, and Superintendent Scot Taylor lays the blame for the 30 percent tax increase the district is asking for on the steps of the New York State Capital in Albany. Taylor laid out the case that if state lawmakers had kept their word and followed the law regarding state aid distribution through Foundation Aid, and not further cut what they already reduced through the Gap Elimination Adjustment, the Tioga Central School District would not be asking for such a drastic increase from voters.
Taylor told a familiar story for Upstate school districts. Foundation Aid was instituted in 2007 to establish a base level of funding to provide a uniform basic level of education. There was to be a four-year phase in of Foundation Aid, however after two years the phase-in was frozen by Albany, Taylor said. Full funding was to have been in place last year, he explained, instead Albany is shooting for 2016-17 now. As a result, Taylor said districts began drawing on their reserve funds, including Tioga Central.
Then in 2009-10 school year Albany decided to implement the Gap Elimination Adjustment to help state lawmakers eliminate their own budget gap, not local school districts. Planned Foundation Aid levels, which districts were counting on were frozen then reduced. State aid to Tioga Central went from $13,169,518 in 2009-10, to $11,920,522 in the 2011-12 school year, according to district budget documents. Taylor expects state aid to be $12,961,829 this year, a guess because unlike any previous year Albany has not provided to districts any concrete numbers this year.
And Taylor’s guess is still not equal to 2009-10 state aid.
Meanwhile, costs have gone up for the district, despite previous budgets which both drew on district reserves and slashed expenses, like in 2011-12 when the district closed the Nichols Elementary school, laid off teachers, cut administration, and reduced program offerings for students. If Albany would have followed the Foundation Aid phase-in, Taylor said they would not be talking about a large tax increase, but how to expand educational opportunities for kids.
Faced with a $902,000 shortfall following a spike in teacher and employee retirement costs in 2014-15 along with increased health insurance costs projected to go up 7.95 percent in 2015-16 to over $3.5 million, Taylor wants to make a stand this year, and ask taxpayers to cover the difference. School taxes for a $50,000 house would go up by approximately $140, to $604; for a $150,000 house that bill would be $1,814 after the increase, up $418 a year. Even with such a drastic increase, Taylor pointed out that Tioga’s school taxes will be lower than neighboring districts.
“I think our kids deserve what the kids in other districts get,” Taylor said to a crowd of over 110 people in the Tioga Central High School Cafeteria, then turned away. His voice was shaky when he turned around, clearly emotional. Say what you want about the tax increase, Taylor obviously cares a great deal about the children of the district. “It’s tough, but our kids deserve it.”
If the budget is rejected by voters, and it needs a two thirds majority to pass due to the tax increase, the district will have to implement a contingency budget which would see an end to sports, extra-curricular activities, the pool would be closed, staff cut, and more – a total reduction of $985,675 to the school budget. “That changes our schools forever,” Taylor said.
Voters will decided on May 19 if it is time for such a drastic change in Tioga Central Schools. The School Board meets on April 8 and 15, and will vote on the budget, which will be presented to voters on April 20. Then there will be a formal presentation of the budget in the High School cafeteria on April 27 and May 11 at 6 p.m., with a public hearing scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on May 6, 2015. Then it will be up to voters on May 19.
