In tough times, think school budgeting

School districts across the South Shore had their state aid allotments for December held back when Gov. David Paterson ordered the payments halted so the state could stay in the black.

Most school officials said they would be able to maintain services without December’s reduced aid payments, which amounted to several thousand dollars per district, but they expressed concerns that School Tax Relief, or STAR, rebate payments might be withheld this month. School officials also said they worried that the cuts would become permanent.

No doubt, these are trying times for school districts. Now is the time that folks should get involved in the school budgeting process.

Crafting a district’s spending plan begins in the fall, when school business officials begin looking at the district’s needs. What will its enrollment be next year? What new testing mandates might the state require? What are the district facilities’ needs? Is there a school in need of a new roof?

From there, officials begin looking at all of the district’s projected expenditures, as well as its revenue streams. It’s important to note that school districts get their operating funds from only three sources: property taxes, state aid and special grants. Grants, usually from the federal government, are few and far between these days, so, in effect, a district has but two funding streams, taxes and state aid. If aid is cut, taxes must go up or the district must reduce expenditures.

Lowering costs is easier said than done. Much of what a district spends is mandated. For example, it must maintain its school buildings so they meet all local and state fire codes, as well as a litany of occupational health and safety requirements. The district must meet all of its financial obligations. It must pay the principal and interest on the bonds it has issued for building projects. It must pay all of its employees according to the current year’s contracts. It must provide all of the necessary materials — textbooks, lab equipment, computers — for students to receive a sound, basic education.

When students’ education is on the line, there is little room for cutting expenditures, especially in poorer districts without non-mandatory programs such as science research, elementary foreign language or computers.

If a district has its state aid cut and doesn’t want to consider raising property taxes, school officials and the Board of Education will consider cuts to non-mandatory programs. A district can also reduce its teaching staff, which will, in turn, increase class size.

School districts across the South Shore are starting their annual budget deliberations, during which residents can attend special hearings to find out about their districts’ plans as well as to make their voices heard. Now, not later, is the time for taxpayers, from parents to senior citizens, to speak up.

Tell Board of Education members why a particular program is so important, or why you believe it could be cut. Your opinions count, and they will help guide school boards as they weigh difficult decisions in the coming months.