The May 19 vote in the Tioga Central School District failed to approve the 2015-16 budget. The district proposed spending $17,723,856, an increase of $417,513 over 2014-15. To fund that, the district asked voters to increase the tax levy from $3,008,128 to $3,910,566, a 30 percent increase of $902,438.
If you do a little quick figuring, local school taxpayers would contribute about 20 percent to the school’s operating budget if it had gotten the 60 percent approval of voters the 2015-16 budget would have needed to pass. Of the remainder, Tioga Central is counting on $13,259,802 from New York State aid for operating expenses, according to budget figures from the district.
With an increase of $902,438 asked for in taxes, and expenditures going up $417,513, where did the nearly half million dollars come from last year? From reserve funds, according to District Superintendent Scot Taylor. That left a little over $1.5 million in reserves for the district, according to Taylor. Drawing more from there would have left too little money should the district have a mid-year catastrophe, such as a boiler failure or roof damage from a heavy storm, he said.
Contrary to reports that Tioga Central would be sending that budget back to voters in a June 16 re-vote, Taylor said it’s not even a certainty that the district won’t go directly to a contingency budget. Nothing is certain with administration and the Board of Education after the May 19 vote, not even the future existence of the district. That said, Taylor gave the impression that something will be put before voters on June 16.
If that sounds confusing, it is, and that reflects the atmosphere after the failed vote. Right now talks are going on between Taylor, district officials, and the Board. On Tuesday, May 26, there will be a special meeting of the Board at 6 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. Taylor said expenditures would again be discussed, along with what to present to voters on June 16 and what a contingency budget with no tax increase would mean for the district and community.
“We’re very concerned that people know what path we’re taking,” Taylor said. “We’ll be discussing in the next week exactly which path we’ll take. We will lay out what a contingency budget means, and the Board will discuss whether to go with a contingency budget or revote.”
The new budget proposal will be presented to the board for adoption on Thursday, May 28, Taylor said. Again the meeting will be open to the public, and in the high school cafeteria at 6 p.m.
“Ideally, we’ll adopt a budget to present for a revote on June 16,” Taylor said.
Taylor would not speculate what the tax levy in a revote budget would be, or what cuts would be made. He did say that the district’s priorities would be to save programs for students.
“That will be the driving force behind it,” Taylor said. “What can we do to be leaner and hang on to programs.”
One local business has stepped forward to help the district preserve those programs.
Tioga Downs has been in talks with the district about potentially helping the district with a donation, Taylor said. No figure has been bantered about, Taylor said, adding that there are a lot of issues with donations to a school district from anybody. Taylor noted that in the past Tioga Downs has provided some funding to the district for the new playground behind the elementary school, but he would only say that currently the district and Tioga Downs are talking.
Jay Dinga is the Regional Director of Business Development and Governmental Relations for Tioga Downs’ parent company, American Racing and Entertainment. Dinga responded via email that Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural wanted to discuss the possibility of helping the district through support of some programs with a donation. Dinga said Gural was particularly interested in supporting programs that have a direct impact on students.
“Any special contribution under consideration by Tioga Downs related to the 2015-16 budget would need to be a component of a larger plan that would likely still include certain budget cuts as well as a significant tax rate increase,” Dinga said in the email.
“This willingness to pay an amount over and above what the tax levy for Tioga Downs would dictate is consistent with Jeff Gural’s long term commitment to this community, Tioga County, and the region,” Dinga added.
Last year Tioga Downs paid $310,000 in school taxes, according to Dinga, and if the 30 percent tax increase went through the Tioga Downs tax bill would have gone up by $93,000 to an estimated $403,000 this year. Dinga said a private conversation between Tioga Downs and district representatives will take place soon.
From what Dinga said Tioga Downs pays in school taxes, the business alone would have paid one in ten tax dollars collected by Tioga Central, according to the district’s budget figures. Taylor understands what he’s asking of taxpayers in the district.
“I understand it’s a tough economy, I get it that the private sector doesn’t get salary increases, I understand their concerns,” Taylor said.
What Taylor said he hopes people understand about the budget is that the district is trying to preserve programs – courses and extracurricular activities – that provide students with a well-rounded education.
“Students need these programs to be successful after high school,” Taylor said, “the results show in our college placement and graduation rates.” Between 85 and 90 percent of Tioga Central students graduate, and 68 percent go on to college, according to Taylor.
Second, Taylor said he wants people to understand that the district cannot continue to rely on state aid. “It’s unpredictable,” Taylor said of yearly state aid, “we wanted to bolster our tax levy so we’re less reliant on state aid.” Taylor went on to say that the other source of keeping taxes low, district reserves, has been drained as well.
When asked if Tioga Central had grown too large while relying on state aid, outstripping it’s tax base, Taylor said the district had in fact been making reductions. He said that in the 2011-12 school year the district closed one of its two elementary schools in Nichols, cut staff and reduced programs. There are some extracurricular activities, Taylor said, but not a lot.
“There’s no fourth grade chorus, no elementary foreign language classes. We’ve got some extracurricular programs, but not a lot,” Taylor said.
Moving forward, Taylor said the district is trying to maintain what they currently offer students. While high taxes are a detriment, Taylor said that young families looking to move into the district would also be looking at the quality of education being offered. Taylor said cutting programs in a contingency budget would decrease the quality of education – and lead to a discussion about the district’s future.
“Ultimately, we’re still responsible for educating the kids,” Taylor said, “and if we can’t provide that here, we have to determine what the options are for the best interest of the students.” That could mean dissolving the district or merging with other districts, Taylor said, though neither of those options would happen quickly. In fact, Taylor could not think of another district in New York that had chosen to close its doors through dissolving the district.
But, it would be discussed if the district has to enact a contingency budget with no tax increase, and steep cuts to programs.
Dates to mark on your calendar are a May 26, 6 p.m. special meeting of the Tioga Central School District Board of Education in the high school cafeteria; and a May 28, 6 p.m. is a special meeting of the board to decide on a budget. June 16 is the date for a revote, should the board decide to have one.
