School Closing in Tarrytown Possible to Lighten Tax Increase

With state funds being slashed and federal stimulus money withering away, the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns face a budget crunch.

“If we were to factor in the present level of costs and factor in the state cuts, it puts a tax increase in the area of 12%, and that is a non-starter,” School Superintendent Howard Smith said. “We recognize that the limits of the property tax levy is set and the people’s capacity to support it is already saturated.”

“We cannot do business as usual,” is the way Smith summed up the need for the district to trim costs to hold down the 2010-11 budget to keep school taxes from escalating.

“Every department in the school system has been asked to submit a budget that includes a scenario of five percent less spending than last year,” Smith said. “That includes everything: athletics, administration, transportation, social studies, every department. “

Among the major cost-cutting moves under consideration is shutting down either Tappan Hill or John Paulding elementary schools. Smith chairs a sizable committee he formed, at the request of the Board of Education, to look into every possible aspect of closing one of those schools. The Tappan Hill School houses all of the district’s kindergarten classes, while the first grades occupy the John Paulding school.

The Building Closure Study Committee is composed of teachers, parents, principals, two assistant superintendents, and a village trustee, among others.

“The charge of the committee at this point is to identify and rate in significance all of the considerations that should be taken into account in even contemplating closures,” Smith explained. “What we will be doing between now and March is to pull this information together in laying out a number of scenarios. If we come to believe we have something that has to be seriously pursued, that would trigger another process, where there would be at least one public hearing, within a very open and transparent process.”

Smith said that the information gathered by the committee would identify issues that would likely arise during a public hearing.

The committee will make no recommendations, but will present all of its collected information to the Board of Education, which would make the decision on the school closing.

“We want to hear everything on all sides of this issue, both the pros and cons,” Board President Mimi Godwin said. “We want to weigh all of these issues. This is not going to rushed.”

She envisioned a public hearing by February, before the budget process begins in earnest through March.

If Tappan Hill were to be closed, it is likely kindergarten classes would move into the Paulding School, according to Smith. First grade could be moved from Paulding to the Morse School, which would contain first and second grades. Third grade would move from Morse to Washington Irving School, which would then be the third, fourth and fifth grade building. The district’s system places all students at the same grade level in one school.

Godwin said she has gotten a mixed reaction from parents regarding the potential moves, but she did not want to speculate as to how any closing would be received by the community. “We want to make a decision that will benefit the community and the students,” she said.

Both Godwin and Smith expressed a reluctance to see teacher layoffs as an alternative to reduce costs. Smith said “laying off one teacher in any grade results in a class size increase of 10 to 15%.” He placed the savings as a result of closing one school at “close to $400,000.”

“That seems like a relatively small amount in comparison to a $62 million budget, but if it saves teachers and keeps class size lower, it is worth thinking about,” the Superintendent said.

If the board decides the issue in time for the budget process in March, Smith said any school changes could be in place for next September’s school year, or could be held off for the following year

Trustee Becky McGovern, who is a permanent substitute teacher and has children in the school district, represents Tarrytown on the Building Closure Study Committee. She said she appreciated that the teachers were having a voice within the committee.

“Both the village and the schools are in the same predicament ,” she said. “We don’t want to raise taxes, so we are looking for alternatives.” She noted that the possible leasing out a closed school “might even bring in some additional revenue.”

While increased operating costs fuel the problem, the financial dilemma stems in part from the state’s efforts in whittling away some of the money assigned by Albany to the district from federal stimulus funds. The $1.5 million was designated to come to the school in two parts, half in this year, and half in next. However, Smith said that the state “has raided some of next year’s money, “so we are already looking at less money next year than we expected.” A further cut of $700,000 proposed by the Governor was blocked, but state cuts could escape a challenge and hit the district next year, he cautioned.

Smith also said state and federal mandates, without the funding necessary to meet their requirements and expectations, are also contributing to the district’s financial problems.

“Our district is no different than others,” he said. “We are all wrestling with these problems, and we are in no better or no worse shape than any of the others.”