South Jefferson Central School District reviews finances

ADAMS — A reduction in aid from the state and a potential $2 million budget gap this year have officials at South Jefferson Central School District concerned the district will not have enough funds or academic resources to continue within the next two years.

At an informal discussion held Monday night, district Superintendent Jamie A. Moesel outlined the struggles the district will face as it prepares its next budget.

“This is about reality,” Mrs. Moesel said.

She calculated the district had lost $8.3 million in state aid through funding reductions in the last three budget cycles. The cuts, Mrs. Moesel said, were not done comparably to wealthier districts of similar size in Nassau, Clinton and Oswego counties.

“This is the picture of equity,” Mrs. Moesel said.

An informational packet released by the district last week painted a grim financial picture.

The state comptroller’s office in March identified the district as one of 100 in the state without sufficient reserves to sustain itself for two more years.

The district’s reserves now stand at $1 million after it assigned $2 million of its reserves to balance the last year’s budget.

The drop in reserves comes even as the district slashed several employee positions.

Since 2010, the school district has cut 43 positions, which include 17 teachers, a librarian and 23 support staff. Two administrative positions were reclassified as instructional support positions.

The school’s figures also indicate a concerning enrollment trend.

Enrollment at the school district declined, from 2,100 to 2,200 students in the late 1990s and early 2000s to between 1,900 and 2,000 students.

Also, the percentage of students in families living below the poverty line has also risen, from 36 percent during the 2005-06 school year to 46 percent in 2010-11.

Even the report’s silver lining, which indicated high passing rates in state Regents tests in 2011 and rising college enrollment, was met with caution about what could result from a further drop in the number of teachers.

“As we keep reducing, our kids’ transcripts can’t compete with other kids’,” Mrs. Moesel said.

The packet featured a quote from John Vlasto, spokesman for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who commented on school cuts following a survey commissioned by the state Council of School Superintendents, which reported 3 percent of teachers statewide were laid off in 2011.

“Schools and school districts chose to make reductions in the classroom rather than dip into their reserves, cut back on bureaucracy, or reduce the growing number of administrators,” Mr. Vlasto said in October.

However, district figures showed the number of administrators fell between the 1992-93 and 2011-12 school years.

“The structure really hasn’t changed in 20 years,” Mrs. Moesel said.