Giving credit where it's due. There is actually some good information over on the Newburgh School District site.
The full "line item" budget proposal for 2009-2010 (23 page pdf). If you actually go to the trouble of reading this, please do post a comment if you have any interesting observations!
Sample of the ballot you will be voting on tomorrow. You can find the correct spelling of the candidate's names here.
Budget vote
Why is it that the BOE will close the Heritage at Stewart campus? Thus forcing over crowding in the main Heritage campus yet continues to use the Stewart building and pay all the utilities. We should all look closely at the line item budget and see where the money is going.
What has the BOE planed for the Stewart site that we as taxpayers are paying for? We as parents and taxpayers are not informed of very much by the BOE, we can only guess at the future usage of the Stewart building.
I would imagine somewhere down the road we will learn once again children excel in smaller learning environment.
Stewart Campus
Everything I have heard about this past year's experience at Stewart indicates that it was an excellent program for the students. It is a shame that the district is closing the program. I know many families are disappointed in the decision.
The district has a lease on the site that they will have to either buy out or continue to use the site in some manner. I've heard that the site may be used to house the offices that are presently based at Chestnut St. Once again, the district in not putting children first. As a veteran teacher, I'm not surprised. The BOE and the district administrators do a lot of talking, but rarely back it up with positive action. Notice that there were only minor cuts made to the Central Office while class size will be increased. It sure seems that it is time for some major changes in the way the district operates so that children will come first!
Where were you during the budget hearings and workshops?
For nearly four months the BOE had open workshops and public meetings regarding the budget. That was the time for you to ask those questions. It is typical for people to ignore what is going on and then complain at the end if they do not like the result. As they say, "you snooze, you loose"
BOE and Stewart
The parents of the children who attend the Stewart campus repeatedly attended and spoke at the BOE meetings. We were told at the first such meeting in March that “nothing had been decided” and then with the next breath we were told if Stewart were to close, we would get our pick of Jr High to send our children. Sounds like some decisions were made very early on in this process and no matter the public outcry, Stewart would close.
Re Stewart and decision making
The district had to cut millions of dollars. Programs and staff cosr money. When the revenues dry up or are reduced and when the taxpayer has less, the district needs to reduce and cut. It's not easy and it is not perfecr, but it needs to be done. education is not about how much money you spend - it is about how well the parents and teachers educate.
Decision Making
I fully agree that the district needed to save millions of dollars. Unfortunately I have yet to see where the savings is coming from it is certainly not in the new 2009-2010 budget. Read the line items referring to Stewart. All utilities unchanged or increase except a small decrease in the trash removal. There is no savings there. As for the loss of teaching staff in the district, there is no million dollars savings there either. As a district, we continue to push more and more children into overcrowded understaffed classroom and removal of teaching staff (Teacher and TA) is our answer to budget issues. Perhaps we should look for solutions in capital projects like the NFA field. Here is the reality check not every kid is a football star, but they all need to read.
In the end, it is our own fault. Just look at the pathetic voter turnout for a 229 million dollar budget. The Newburgh BOE has to answer to less than 2500 voters. We create our own future as sad as it is.
"Decision Making" arguement has no merit
The previous poster, Decision Making, loses me. The complaint is, "As for the loss of teaching staff in the district, there is no million dollars savings there either." But looking at the NCSD Summary of Changes [ to the 09-10 budget] shows that there were numerous cuts in positions and staff adding up to millions in savings. Reading the district's Budget flier it clearly states "The proposed budget eliminates 120 positions which results in 73 staff layoffs."
The poster then argues, "As a district, we continue to push more and more children into overcrowded understaffed classroom and removal of teaching staff " At one of the recent BOE meetings the itemized list of every K-6 class size for most classrooms was given at 20 - 25 students with a handful numbering 26 or more. This hardly qualifies as overcrowded. As for understaff, what is the definition for understaffed? - half a teacher ?
The NFA field was a bad idea, BUT was approved by the voters aka taxpayers. if the other taxpaying sofa loafers got off their butts and out to vote it may not have been approved.
As for Stewart's closing, it does save about $1 million.
Newburgh Savings do exist
In February, 2009 the proposed 09-10 budget was nearly 9 MILLION dollars BIGGER at 238 milion dollars. That number was unacceptable because of the need to raise taxes nearly 18%. Cuts were need to get the budget down to its current number.Those cuts include early retirements, reduction in administration, teaching aides and assistants, speech, pschological, business, science, technology, clerical and custodial positions. In other words the CUTS ofwere made to reduce a much bigger proposed budget.
As a result approximately 120 positions were eliminated with about 70 staff layoffs which when added to other cuts reduced the proposed budget by $8,700,000.
Show me the savings
The original “proposed” budget is not the issue. The budget that was just approved was still a 3.2 million dollar increase over the 2008-2009. The big savings comes from the initially proposed budget and the newly adopted budget. The entire budget still had an increase.
The savings of 2 million dollars coming form the Stewart operation is detailed where? The majority of the teaching staff will be relocated in other district schools, the lease payments are still due and so are the utilities and services to the building. So where is the mythical savings coming from?
WOW
Yes, there is a budget increase, but not enough to keep 120 positions and 70 staff people - That was all cut.
The Stewart savings was $1 million, and yes staff were relocated to follow the students being transferred. But in the move and with some realignment of other classes some staff were cut. You said it yourself, "The majority of the teaching staff will be relocated in other district schools." In other words NOT ALL the staff were kept on the payroll, they were cut, without a job.
Yes, there are still monies needed for Stewart, but $1 million dollars less than last year.
Savings
Are you saying that all the savings that comes from the closing of Stewart is coming from the elimination of positions at Stewart? If so what is the standard that the BOE uses to calculate one FTE (full time employee)? All that I am saying is that there does not seem to be 1 million dollars in savings. Even if you double the amount of students as was originally planed, it does not seem to add up.