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Overcast District 24 gets relief from state
Board still weighing budget options
District 24 will be getting a boost in state aid that could stave off cuts to some programs and staff being considered by the Board of Education.
Additionally, the state has passed special legislation that will allow the district to use money from a specific reserve account to fund operations for the 2014-15 school year.
However, Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale said that no decisions had been made on how to use the extra money. “I have to talk about it with the board,” he said. “The increase in aid fell short from what we had expected.”
The district administration came to the board with roughly $1 million in proposed cuts, measures that were deemed necessary because of dwindling reserve funds and insufficient state aid. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal in January would have given the elementary district only a $47,000 aid increase.
Traditionally, the State Legislature has boosted support for schools, and with the adoption of the budget earlier this week, that held true again. Fale said he made his case several times to Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages and Sen. Dean Skelos.
The district will now receive $5.46 million in state aid, a $214,000 increase over the current year. The Legislature will also allow the Board of Education to use up to $1 million of its retirement contribution reserve fund. The special legislation was required because the district will be using the money for expenses that are not retirement-related.
According to the legislation, the Board of Education must approve the transfer. “That was deemed the best way to get the money infused into the school district so they don’t have to cut programs,” said Solages, who supported the legislation.
Solages said she was concerned about the possibility of cuts in the district, especially after it was deemed to be in financial stress in a report by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli earlier this year. She noted that she received numerous letters from teachers in the district, and also heard from several parents seeking the state’s help.
