While neighboring school districts are talking about cuts, Cornwall has been able to restore positions without going above the tax cap.
On April 7, the assistant superintendent for business, Harvey Sotland, provided an update for the Board of Education. He told them that three positive things have happened.
The district is due to get a 5.5 percent increase in state aid; it has received a verbal OK for its energy project, and it will be able to educate more special needs students in Cornwall.
The district saves money by reducing the number of students who are educated elsewhere. But Mr. Sotland acknowledged that there’s an advantage beyond the dollars that will be saved. “Don’t think of this as just a fiscal win,” he said. “It’s also a win for the children.”
The three positive events give the district $316,000 of extra spending money. The plan is to add a part-time ESL teacher, and a pair of full-time teachers (one for special education and one for intervention).
The updated budget also includes two assistant coaches and a pay raise for substitutes. With the changes, the tax levy increase is 1.89 percent, which is a hair under the cap of 1.90 percent.
In a subsequent telephone interview, Mr. Sotland characterized some of the additions as an investment in the future. He said that having more intervention would keep the district from facing larger costs later on. He described the addition of the two assistant coaches as a safety measure, since the high school and modified track teams have a huge number of athletes per coach.
During his school board presentation, Mr. Sotland said that Cornwall has fallen behind other schools in the amount it pays its substitutes.
The Board of Education will adopt a budget on April 21. Residents will get to vote on it on May 20. People can see the text of Mr. Sotland’s presentation by visiting www.cornwallschools.com.
