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| 5/24/2009 | Email this article • Print this article | Districts should pay attention to voters
Recorder News Staff
Taxpayers in the Greater Amsterdam and Broadalbin-Perth school districts voted down budgets in their respective school districts on Tuesday, perhaps making statements about pay increases for administrators.
It may have only been a coincidence, but residents of both school districts had criticized board members for granting pay raises to administrators during tough economic times. If that was the motivation behind any dissenting voters, it will probably not make a difference as the pay raises are likely to stand.
The GASD Board of Education voted Wednesday to resubmit the proposed 2009-10 budget for a re-vote on June 16. According to state law, districts are allowed to present budgets for public vote a second time if they are defeated initially. The board can rework the budget for the second vote or leave it intact. It appears that Amsterdam will choose the latter, since it was narrowly defeated.
If the budget is defeated a second time, the district will have to adopt a contingency budget that will be reduced by approximately $200,000 from the proposed budget. According to board members, pay raises will remain while custodial positions, sports programs or student activities could be cut to make up the difference.
In the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District, where the proposed budget of $28,005,010 was voted down for the third time in the past five years, board members haven't decided on their next move.
The board plans to meet Tuesday to discuss its options. Like Amsterdam, raises for administrators were an issue in the B-P district, along with that district's teacher's union offering minimal concessions like offering to chaperone after-school events for free, which many voters likely saw as arrogant and insulting.
We believe the district should listen to voters and eliminate or lessen the pay raises for the upcoming year. If they're not willing to do so, voters should think twice about defeating the budget a second time, since it will be students and hourly employees who will suffer.
Granted, the pay increases will remain regardless if a second budget vote succeeds or fails. But removing them will at least tell voters the two school districts are willing to balance the needs of the schools against the people who foot the bill.
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