“We won’t be out of the woods,” Harvey Sotland told the school board last night, “until we know what path the state will put us on.”
Mr. Sotland, the assistant superintendent for business, was referring to the budget for 2016-17. As of March 29, he was still waiting for information.
He didn’t have final figures for a few line items, but what he needed most was an allowance for state aid. “At this point,” he said, “we have no idea if we have to cut, if we can add, or we’re able to maintain what we have.”
Superintendent of Schools Neal Miller referred to state aid earlier in the evening. “As of 6:20 p.m.,” he reported, “the state hasn’t said what it will look like.”
Mr. Miller, however, shared an opinion from Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan, who predicted that the state budget would include record investments in education.
That was one reason to be optimistic. Another reason was a rumor concerning the gap elimination adjustment (GEA). If the rumor were true, Cornwall would be getting an additional $187,000.
But the school district will need more than that to get under the cap without making cuts. As of March 29, Mr. Sotland said the shortfall was $567,000.
He was confident that he’d have better information for the April 11 budget meeting. The board will adopt a budget on April 20, and the voters will get to say “yes” or “no” on May 17.
The district’s goal is to maintain its current programs without going over the tax levy cap.
