Lawrence super pitches draft budget

Lawrence Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons is proposing a 2010/2011 budget that would rise 2.85 percent from the current year with a tax levy increase of 5.2 percent, but the school board is hoping the spending plan can be tweaked to enhance its chance of passage in May.

Dr. Fitzsimons outlined his draft $94.3 million budget at the Feb. 23 Lawrence school board meeting and said the increased tax levy is due to an anticipated drop in state aid from Albany, with the district slated to lose $1.2 million under Gov. David Paterson's latest proposal. Last year's tax levy, which is the total amount that the district must raise in property taxes in order to meet expenses, increased 2.03 percent.

District officials have not yet released the tax rate, which is the increase in homeowner's property-tax bills.

Lawrence school board president Murray Forman said that he was impressed with the draft budget Fitzsimons presented but would like to see it reduced some more to bring the tax levy down to avoid having it rejected by voters. Should voters reject Lawrence's budget proposal then the district would be mandated to operate on "austerity," which this year mandates not having any increase. Forman said such a scenario would force the district to make significant cuts.

"The challenge to the board is really to craft a budget that in light of the fiscal difficulties preserves the robust programs but does not incent the community at large to vote it down," said Forman. "We have to be very, very careful."

Lawrence operated on austerity from July 1, 2003 to July 1, 2007 in the midst of four straight years of budget proposals being rejected by voters. The district's voters have since passed the budget for three straight years.

If the $94.3 million budget were adopted by the school board and approved by voters in May there would be no cuts in programs. However, the draft budget proposal would mean a reduction of 23.2 professional staff members including 11.2 subject teachers. There would also be a loss of 48.2 support staff under this proposal. "We worked really hard in tightening our belt," said Fitzsimons during his Feb. 23 budget presentation in the Lawrence Middle School Auditorium.

The $94.3 million budget would increase spending on district facilities by a relatively modest $100,000 due to last year's closing of the Number Six School in Woodmere because of declining enrollment. "By consolidating and using space wisely it is a significant savings over a long period of time," said Fitzsimons. Forman said the school board will likely discuss the budget at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, March 23, at 8 p.m. Lawrence Middle School. The annual budget hearing at which a proposal will be officially adopted is scheduled for April 27. The budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 11.