BOE Presents Official Budget at Testy Meeting

In a lengthy—at times emotional—meeting, the Harrison Board of Education officially presented its proposed 2011-12 budget to a group of parents, teachers and residents Wednesday night at .

The $103.1 million spending plan and $91.3 million tax levy would increase taxes 3.18 percent and will go to a public vote on May 17. School officials said they did the best they could with a difficult situation, again citing cuts in state aid, dropping property assessments and increased employee retirement costs as the biggest obstacles to keeping taxes low without gashing school programming.

"We have protected the important elements of opportunity for all the kids in this community, it is a challenge," said Harrison Superintendent Louis Wool. "This has been the worst year so far, it is the first time we have substantially impacted program for kids, program that we think is important."

The proposed budget would eliminate 20.4 positions within the district, some already vacated by retirements. Ten full-time teaching positions—three through layoffs—would be eliminated. Ten teacher's assistants would also be laid off.

Class sizes will still be capped at 22, something the Board of Education has strongly supported. The health education program at Harrison's elementary schools will take the biggest step back, according to Wool, as the district will reluctantly discontinue plans to expand the program next year—instead reducing staff in the department.

"We think it's critically important, we don't view health as an add-on," said Wool, later adding that the district hopes revisit expansion within the health program in the future. "We think health is a very important content area."

Non-salaried reductions added up to $1.86 million. Clubs at both the high school and middle school level will also take a hit. Eight of LMK's 39 clubs will be eliminated or reduce operations next year. Eight of the high school's 42 clubs will face the same fate.

The board also considered cutting modified sports programs, but decided against it after determining that dropping those programs would affect approximately 200 students.

Administrators pointed to cost drivers including state mandates and increased state retirement costs. Before one-time fund balances and reserves were added to spending reductions, Robert Salierno, Harrison assistant superintendent for business, said the tax rate increase would have been close to 12 percent.

"We pretty much swung this thing almost $9 million this year trying to bring this tax rate down," he said.

The budget was also helped, the board said, by and a new agreement with school administrators announced earlier this spring that will freeze their pay in 2011-12. 

School administrators will take a zero percent pay increase in 2011-12, followed by 1.75 percent increases in 2012-13 and 2013-14 and between 1.5 and 2 percent raises the following two years as part of their renegotiated five-year contract with the district. Both contract negotiations were praised by the board on Wednesday.

"We began this budget process with a board committed to maintaining the academic programs for the children that go to school here and I believe we are presenting a budget and a spending plan to this community that in fact does that while simultaneously respecting our taxpayers," said Harrison Board of Education President Joan Tiburzi.

The budget drew both criticism and praise from the public, as it has during most of what has become a somewhat divisive budgeting process. Some questioned the "bang for the buck" taxpayers are getting from Harrison's schools, pointing out that the district has one of the highest per-pupil costs in the region with test numbers they view as sub-par.

Patrick Enright, a Harrison resident, questioned how per-pupil costs have jumped more than 50 percent during Wool's nine-year regime at the district. Wool shot back with a list of 32 program, staff and other additions brought to the district since 2002. He added that when he arrived at the district Harrison spent more per pupil than Scarsdale, the only district in the 19-member Westchester High Performing School District Group that currently spends more per student than Harrison.

"The fact of the matter is this district is spending too much money and it's not getting enough results," Enright responded, referencing state test scores that some say are below Harrison's potential.

Others continued to question Harrison's results on state test scores, an issue that has become somewhat contentious this spring. Some parents have pushed for changes within the high school's pathway system while board members have stood firm in the their belief in the district's current open enrollment practice and movement toward IB affiliation starting this fall.

When comparisons were drawn between Harrison and Mamaroneck's state scores, several teachers and parents took to the podium to support Harrison's approach, while condemning cut scores and tracking. This led to a short, but sometimes tense, back and forth at the podium between supporters of the current board of education and those seeking reform.

The budget itself has not changed since it earlier this month. Although public input was accepted Wednesday, under New York State law no alterations could be made.

If voters approve the budget it will become official on May 18, if it is voted down the board will have the option of submitting the same budget for a second time, making changes to the budget and then revoting, or enacting an austerity budget.

Polls will be open on May 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.