The Ramapo Central School Board of Education met Tuesday evening to a standing room only audience. With people once again lining the halls, walls and meeting room itself, the BOE was set to make its final proposed budget presentation to the public and then take a vote on the item.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Kelly Seibert presented Superintendent Dr. Douglas Adams and the BOE a final proposed district budget of $128,009,853.
According to the district, schools throughout the state have been given a complex formula to determine their actual tax levy limit, which can be different for every school district in the state, and different from one year to the next.
Depending on calculations and exemptions, an individual district’s tax levy limit may be above, at, or below 2%. Ramapo Central’s limit or “cap” for 2013-14 is 1.99%.
NY state law mandates that school district property tax increases be kept under a 2% increase. Districts need a 60 percent vote to go over the cap.
“You’re not making decisions based on finance,” said Ramapo Teachers Association President and Suffern High School history teacher John Canty. “You’re making decisions based on politics. By the time the board thinks it’s politically safe to snap the cap, it will be too late. And neither one of us will be able to dig us out of this hole.”
After six budget workshop meetings and some 500+ slides presented by district administrators, the district’s $10 million budget gap was closed. But lost were numerous programs and some personnel. Programs set for elimination include summer school, field trips, the Family Resource Center, Homework Club, dance programs, and specific extra duty reductions of more than $250,000 that include some club advisors and department chairs at district schools. Field trip elimination means all district sponsored outings, including the popular overnight stay at Camp Mariah. Personnel cuts involve elementary library staff, teaching assistants, social workers, instructional technology staff, special education monitors, a school psychologist, a speech language therapist, a guidance counselor, and a school nurse.
The Ramapo Teachers Association showed up at the meeting in mass and wore blue Save Our Schools t-shirts to show solidarity. The blue shirts were scattered everywhere in the meeting hall. When the floor was opened for public comments, John Canty, president of the Ramapo Teachers Association, took to the podium wearing an S.O.S blue shirt and went to bat to bust the cap.
“The elephant in the room is not the tax cap as suggested in the budget workshop last Thursday,” Canty said. “It is a question: will the teachers do something financially helpful during this time? And it’s crystal clear the teachers have helped the school district. No teachers in this county have done more during this financial crisis. I’ll go one step further,” he said.
“No group of public employees in Rockland have done as much to help their community financially as the teachers in this room,” Canty ended and the room broke out into applause. Canty referenced both a salary freeze and increased contribution to health care costs for Ramapo Teachers.
Canty called into question the board’s plan to keep to the state mandated tax cap in the face of losing important programs and people. He said that if the district tax levy was at the county district average of 3.2%, the budget could be balanced. He ended his appeal by quoting what another district that intends to break the state cap told him.
“We based our tax levy on educational needs and fiscal prudence rather than arbitrary numbers sent down for us from Albany.”
The tenor of the public sentiment during the course of the district workshops has been that the Ramapo School Central School district is attractive because of the quality of the educational system. And worth every penny. A former long time teacher in the school district took to the podium and said: “I don’t know if you have it or not. If you don’t, you better get it — courage. We have a great school district, don’t screw it up.”
The room again applauded.
Another district resident stepped up to the podium and said he thought the school board was showing courage by keeping the Ramapo Central limit or “cap” for 2013-14 at 1.99% — or in line with state levy recommendations. He said that the school tax is usually the largest tax item, and then there are village, county and state taxes. Some people can’t afford the additional increase, he said.
“I know what I’m saying here is not popular,” he said. “I don’t think the schools are going to go down by doing this. I know what you’re doing is not popular,” he said, turning to the board members seated along the front of the room. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not right.”
The Ramapo Central School District Budget vote will be held on Tuesday, May 21. Additionally, two school board seats will be decided. Candidates for the seats include current board members Clarke Osborne and Maureen Danzig, and Steve Forman.
Note: This article has been updated to more accurately reflect Ramapo Central’s tax cap levy, which is arrived at through a complex NY state formula which is different for every school district in the state, and different from one year to the next. Depending on calculations and exemptions, an individual district’s tax levy limit may be above, at, or below 2%.
