Union Leader: Use New Federal Aid to Restore Clarkstown Teaching Jobs

The head of the Clarkstown teachers union has suggested the Clarkstown school district use $1.4 million in new federal aid to restore teaching jobs that have been cut in an effort to keep property taxes down.

The Clarkstown Central School District learned Tuesday that it would receive the new aid this year as part of the recently-signed Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act. School Superintendent Margaret Keller-Cogan has recommended the new aid be banked for the 2011-2012 school year, when the district is facing the loss of $5 million in federal aid as economic stimulus programs end.

In reaction to the approval of the new funding, Clarkstown Teachers Association President Greg Montague said the district should restore four full-time teachers who were laid off and several part-time positions that were lost. He said Clarkstown lost a total of 17 teaching positions in the past year.

Montague said the loss of the teaching positions as well as cutbacks in teaching assistants and clerical staff is negatively affecting the district's schools.

"The funds from the Jobs Bill should be used to restore these teachers," said Montague. "If we want to remain one of the top school districts, we must make sure we provide our students with a well-rounded education."

Montague said Clarkstown has the opportunity to restore the positions now without increasing property taxes. 

"It is a temporary fix, but temporary is better than no fix," Montague said. "We can all hope, and work toward a more permanent solution throughout the year. If we do not rehire the staff and we reserve the money for next year, it is still only a temporary fix. If we use temporary funds to offset tax dollars next year, what happens the following year when that money is gone?  We will either have to raise taxes or reduce the staff even further. I live in the district, my children go to the schools in the district, and I work in the district, I couldn't be more vested in doing what is right for the entire district and community.  Restoring the lost positions is what we should do, so that we can provide the courses and assistance we should be offering."

School Board President Phillip DeGaetano said he favors of using the funds immediately to restore teaching and teaching assistant jobs. DeGaetano said his goal is to help the district boost student performance in the classroom and on mandatory state proficiency exams in math and English.

Keller-Cogan said the district's director of fiscal services, John LaNave, will be making a presentation on the new federal funding to the school board at its September business meeting.

"In that presentation Mr. LaNave will outline possible uses," Keller-Cogan said. "The (Board of Education) will ultimately decide which approach they feel is best."

Montague said his suggestion for restoration of the teaching jobs comes at a time when the union has proven its commitment to the community by accepting a contract that froze teacher salaries for the next 18 months. 

"We made it clear at the budget meetings that the cuts were too deep and our ability to provide the level of education we have been providing would be impacted," Montague said. "The parents of student athletes now realize this impact. The parents of our elementary musicians will notice the loss of two excellent elementary music teachers as school resumes. Our music teachers are now spread out so thin in some buildings that they will not be able to go above and beyond the basic instruction to the levels that they have in the past."

Montague also said the Clarkstown North High School Technology Education program has been reduced to a single part-time teacher. 

"This program is where our students get introduced to the hands-on trades," Montague said. "The opportunity for exposure to possible career paths in construction, engineering, plumbing, and architecture have been reduced."

Keller-Cogan agree with Montague that Clarkstown teachers have shown their commitment to the schools and the community.

"They have willingly made sacrifices to demonstrate their sensitivity to current fiscal realities," Keller-Cogan said. "We are working to balance the fiscal realities with the needs of our students and staff.  We will be mindful of this balance as the decision about use of these funds is made."

Clarkstown school district residents on May 18 approved a $167.6 million school budget for the 2010-2011 year.

Originally facing a $5.9 million budget deficit and layoffs of more than 150 employees, by the end of the budget process the school board was able to lessen the cuts and keep the proposed tax increase in the budget at a little more than 2 percent. The approved budget increased the average homeowner's taxes by about $132.

Cuts in the budget included:

• Making changes to athletic programs, including eliminating modified ice hockey and gymnastics in middle school, cutting in half the number of modified teams at the middle schools, eliminating freshman athletic programs and no longer having paid assistant coaches in some varsity sports.
• Moving the responsibility for paying for student attendance at state and national competitions to the parents whose children participate.
• Reducing the purchase of library books to the level supported by state aid.
• Reducing the summer school special education program at Birchwood to the level supported by state aid and eliminating the after school program at Birchwood.
• Reducing administrative costs by 17.2 percent.
• Eliminating 10 one-on-one academic support jobs in math classes in kindergarten through fifth grade.

Further cuts were staved off by using about $2 million of the district's fund balance.

Parents of students involved with scholastic sports programs this summer pleaded with the school board to restore cuts to the sports program, especially at the middle school and freshman level at the high schools. Additionally, parents asked for the restoration of assistant coaching positions – especially for the swimming program – to ensure the safety of student athletes.

The school board has not restored any of the cuts to athletics.