Liberty school officials present belt-tightening plans

By Leonard Sparks

Published: 2:00 AM - 03/15/12

LIBERTY The Liberty School District would shave two weeks off summer school and eliminate a full-time custodial position as part of $395,757 in savings contained in a proposed 2012-13 non-instructional budget.

The budget is based on a 2.7 percent maximum-allowable tax levy increase.

Tuesday's presentation on the proposed plan, made two weeks before the district unveils its instructional budget, included a 33-slide PowerPoint covering the spending plan for administration, staff and teacher pensions, health benefits, operations and maintenance.

Superintendent Mike Vanyo spoke of the cuts the district has made over the past two years and warned that Liberty faces many challenges as it tries to balance the budget without exhausting reserves. Vanyo predicted that, at the current rate, reserves could be depleted by 2016.

"We're going to look for ways to decrease expenses, we're going to look for ways to increase revenues, we're going to look for ways to be more efficient," he said.

Liberty has cut the equivalent of 32 full-time positions over the past two years to close combined deficits of more than $2 million. The cuts have included staff, teachers and aide positions. The increase, which could be reduced before a budget is sent to voters, includes pension-contribution growth and capital expenses excluded from tax cap calculations.

This year, summer school would be cut to four weeks from six weeks under the proposed non-instructional budget, which increases spending by 2.8 percent.

Liberty would also cut $21,000 from field trips, reduce its 4 p.m. bus runs to two days from three days and eliminate a full-time custodial position through attrition. The proposal also reduces spending on BOCES services and eliminates one of four newsletters. The cuts and largely flat spending would offset significant increases in staff and teacher pension contributions, health insurance and workers' compensation. Pension costs are increasing by $90,000 and medical insurance by $362,159. Liberty must cut $955,000 overall, meaning it will have to squeeze $560,000 in savings out of an instructional budget that has already been severely pared. "We've got to come up with a solution; we can't keep cutting positions," Vanyo said. "If we don't reduce our expenses, then we've got to increase our revenues, and there's not a lot of ways to do that."

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Liberty school officials present belt-tightening plans