School Budget: Guidance, Nursing Staff Cuts Expected

Residents implored the Commack Board of Education to keep the current level of school nursing and guidance staff the same in the coming year, after potential cuts were discussed Thursday during a budget workshop.

Superintendent Donald James explained that the cuts are proposed in part to meet contractual and benefits increases. The largest mandatory increase is to the teachers’ retirement system as a 40.47 percent rise is expected, translating into a $3,490,026 surge. 

The Board of Education is expecting to cut two full-time nursing positions and at least one full-time mental health professional from the 2013-14 budget.

Paula Saltzman, the lead nurse within the district, pleaded to the board to keep the current level of health professionals, noting dramatic increases in allergies and other growing health concerns including asthma, diabetes and even cancer. She said that the cuts would bring the staff level down to about 13 nurses for 7,000 students.

“I know education is important in our school district but safety has to come somewhere amongst the first things we care about, because a child cannot learn if they are not well,” she said. “I don’t want something bad to happen and someone say oh why didn’t you call the nurse. We’re just doing a job and we hope you appreciate it and care to appreciate it when you’re voting for the budget.” 

Administrators said that there would be one nurse in each school building.

Mayann Montella, vice president of the PTA, said that she was greatly concerned about cutting back social worker and guidance counselor staff, as a free position due to a retirement is not planned on being fulfilled in the new budget. Her worries stemmed in particular from multiple student deaths that took place last year.

“I can tell you that emotions are still very raw with our children. While they’re terrific, amazing kids, there’s so much under there that we don’t even know about because they really are keeping it together so amazingly, but they’re doing that with the help of our guidance counselors, our social workers and our psychologists,” she said.

Montalla said that the guidance staff at the middle school was particularly helpful for her own child.

“In our community we have drug use, alcohol, unemployment, depression - none of us know most of what’s going on in the communities. Our guidance counselors, our social workers are right there with the kids helping them.” 

She went on to say that eight parents died this school year. “Our guidance counselors and social workers were there for those children. I know you have to measure physical bodies, but you really can’t measure the importance of these people.”

In addition to emotional support, the PTA leader noted that the guidance department also processed 4,100 college applications this year. “I don’t know how they’re going to do that with one less guidance counselor. I hope you would consider filling that spot,” she said to crowd applause. 

In order to save those jobs, Jim Tampellini asked the board to consider using a portion of its reserves. The Board of Education said it plans to have about $6 million in reserves next school year. However, a few residents contested that figure, and said that the actual amount in reserves is likely millions more, due to the leftover money that is planned, but not actually used each school year. 

“Why do you have to lay off nurses and guidance counselors when you can take whatever their salaries are, and apply it so we can have these people, who perform an important job in this district, and not get cut,” he said. 

Board trustee Peter Wunsch replied that using more from the reserves would put the district on a “slippery slope” to having no reserves at all, adding the possibility of a disaster such as a roof collapse or a boiler breaking down and being left with no money for those potential contingencies.

“We’re trying to avoid dire restraints by pacing ourselves down,” added board President Mary Jo Masciello. “We agree with you. We don’t want to lose any one. We don’t sit here and say, ‘oh this person is expendable, and that person’s expendable.’ We’re seeing how we can make ourselves carefully paced for what’s ahead because there are districts out there that are so troubled because they’ve overdone that use of reserves.”

Tampellini responded, saying that the amount of money used to keep those jobs would hardly make a dent in the surplus.

“I’m certainly not saying exhaust our reserves to unsustainable level. What I’m saying is that the amount of money that we’re talking about is nominal compared to what we have in reserves. To keep these people employed is not going to make much of a difference,” he said as the crowd applauded.

The superintendent said that long-term fiscal planning is the district’s goal in keeping the reserves at that level, adding that the district’s current reserves will be exhausted by 2017.

Tampellini is also looking for a change within the school board. He recently started a petition to increase the number of trustees from five to seven. Signatures of at least 5-percent of the number of voters, who participated in the previous election, are needed. Several residents have already signed. 

As another solution to unwanted cuts, resident Theresa Burke asked the board to consider renegotiating teacher and staff contracts this year in order to keep those jobs.

“I’m going to say it. It’s the elephant in the room. We have to start looking at alternatives,” she said, adding that the majority of increases are due to contracted salaries. “We don’t want to lose teachers. We don’t want to lose nurses. We don’t want to lose anybody, but unfortunately, when we’re dealing with 23 percent it’s such a small, small portion.” 

James said that while he doesn’t want to see the district lose valuable nurses or guidance counselors, financial constraints leave few options. 

“We are in some rocky times and making very difficult decisions. That’s just the place where we are,” he said.

Related:

• School Budget: Class Sizes to Remain Below Cap
• How Much More Can Commack School Taxpayers Take?