District to possibly make cuts in proposed budget
Amherst Schools
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

The Amherst Central School Board may have to cut approximately $1.2 million from the 2008-09 budget.

District business administrator Gregory Kern gave the district the bad news at the March 18 school board meeting.

Increases in personnel costs and benefits ($1.2 million), health insurance ($300,000) and transportation ($130,000) are among several reasons why the preliminary budget is $3.22 million higher than the current year's plan. Each of these items is under contract and cannot be revised.

The preliminary budget is $43.6 million.

Even to keep the tax levy increase to 4.5 percent, the district would have to make $1.2 million in reductions to the budget; a 6.5 percent increase would require $708,000 in cuts.

In order to make the cuts, the board asked Kern to compile an itemized list of possible cuts from building administrators.

The district would have to raise the tax levy 9.3 percent to not make any reductions in the budget. Board President William Blanford said he does not want to raise the tax levy that high. Over the last 10 years, the district has averaged a 1.25 percent increase in the levy.

"We need to know what is tolerable," said Superintendent Laura Chabe.

The board brainstormed ways to save money. One way would be by putting more money than $750,000 in the appropriated fund balance (surplus), but Assistant Superintendent Mark Whyle advised against it.

"Each year you would have to maintain that kind of rollover," said Whyle. "It can be done, but that would mean the '08-'09 budget would have to be a tighter budget. We've done it in the past, but I recommend it with caution."

Whyle said the only way the district could make cuts is by a reduction in programming.

Vice President David Stocking said the board should look at increasing class size as a way to save money.

In another matter, Whyle said the first phase of the district's $16.8 million capital construction project is about to be reviewed by the state Education Department. The project involves roof replacement at the high school, middle school and Windermere Boulevard Elementary.