This was the fifth budget meeting, held at the Library auditorium. It started around 5:12pm. There was an audience of about 50. All Board Members except Bowles were present.

Superintendent of Schools Saturnelli: staff is working diligently to examine every position and program. Proposed budget is now almost $3M less than last year. Some substantial increases may be ahead. [Presumably as a result of union contract negotiations.]

Assistant Superintendent of Finance Pacella: total reductions so far around $5.5M. The decrease amount of $3M anticipates some salary and benefit cost increases.

Board President Fucheck: at the workshop meeting on the 16th the Board expects an update from counsel on the contract negotiations.

Pacella: tax impact could be anywhere from 2.33% to -3% depending on "negotiations". Last year the $2M used from fund balance was mostly replenished by end of year. Using same $2M amount this year would result in .22% tax levy growth.

Item 22 [As Board requested last time, central office staffing was reviewed...] Recommendation to eliminate a Central Office clerical position. A typist at Fostertown is retiring. Recomendation is to backfill that position from central office and eliminate one typist position. Result would be $45k savings via attrition.

Vote on item 22, eliminate typist position: all Yes.

Item 23 As consequence of elimination of full day Pre-K at Renwick. Transfer hearing officer and typist [seems this might be a single individual?] to the open Assistant Principal position at South High. [Effect would be to eliminate a hearing officer/typist position?] Savings of $112k.

Board Member Poppiti: what if Pre-K demand is beyond Washington Street's capacity?

Pacella: with passed budget could readdress. Reopening would add certain expenses.

Vote on item 23, hearing officer/typist position: all Yes.

Item 21 Facilities budget reduction of $150k.

Pacella: Numbers are based on Energy Education Specialist Ramjug's assessment, based on current budget. Water and sewer costs are going up 45% in the city next year.

Poppiti: typically budgeted amount for facilities is more than actual expenditure. This estimate is based on budgeted instead of actual dollars. Thinks there is no risk because actual will be less.

Vote on item 21, facilities budget: all Yes.

Item 25: Guidance Counselor ratios and job descriptions have been reviewed. Recommendation is to not fill retiree at NFA, but to shift other positions to fill. Reduction of $142k.

DeMarco: looking at avg data by district by grade looks like Newburgh counselors may be running 240 or 250 students per.

McAfee: numbers don't seem right. Had question about effect of cutting on case load. Still can't support. In the Graduation rate article in the Record Middletown was complemented. If look at caseload for their guidance counselors it is less.

Pacella: the change is not a reduction.

Saturnelli: moving one each from from South and Heritage to Main and to North.

Pacella: both South and Heritage will only be 7/8 next year.

[debate ensues]

McAfee: so case load won't go down?

Pacella: don't know enrollment.

Vote on item 25: reduce one Guidance Counselor through attrition: all Yes.

Item E, 26: Currently there are 11 Social Workers on staff. The recommendation is to reduce this number by 10, and replace with 4 Guidance Counselors and 4 Psychologists. [Something was said along the lines that Guidance Counselors can "do more" based on job descriptions?]

The four Guidance Counselor positions would be assigned to cover one or two elementary schools based on sizes of elementaries. Balmville/Fostertown; Gardnertown/HOH; New Windsor/Vails Gate; and GAMS by itself. Psychologists are mandated for Special Education and IEP testing. District is currently out of compliance wrt testing and this would improve that. The remaining Social Worker position would be at Pre-K. Savings would be $328k.

DeMarco: we listened to this last night and had discussions before this meeting. [He wants assurance that a psychologist is always available when needed.] Think I have been assured of that.

Vote on item 25: reduce Social Worker positions by 10, create Guidance ans Psychologist positions: all Yes.

Item F: Information on workload of Math and Reading Specialists at Temple Hill. Recommendation is not to redeploy [not sure what this meant].

Poppiti: point was to find out how deployed. Would like info from all not just at TH.

[No action on Item F.]

Item G, 27: Teaching position at West Street is needed based on class size.

[There was some discussion about capacity of school.]

Vote on item G, 27, additional teaching position at West St: all Yes.

Item H: Newburgh Free Library Budget proposal. The proposal requires %3.5 increase in tax levy, roughly a $127k increase. [Note that the dollar amount is very small because the Library budget is a tiny amount compared to the schol district budget.] An unknown is outcome of CSEA contract. %3 salary increase is factored in.

Board Member Resch: would like to bubble to have time to review.

[No action on Item G.]

Pacella: roughly another $724k in reductions have been passed. For next time will look further at utilities budget, kindergarten intake at Washington St. On the revenue side will look at utility tax, may be able to go up a little.

Poppiti: Problem with spending fund balance is that you start the next year in a hole. If adopt a budget and overspend then the overspent amount is not a built-in commitment for future years. [Arguing better to avoid allocating fund balance as a matter of course.]

Pacellla: last week Assistant Superintendent of Schools Pizzo and I went to Newburgh City Council meeting about the SRO funding issue. City has tabled it again. With your approval would like to look at option of getting the county sheriffs. Difficult to get State Police. Leahy and Diana are involved with the issue. Don't see city talks going well.

Saturnelli: continue with city and pursue the county option.

[General agreement from the Board.]

DeMarco asked about a "tax ceiling". It's apparently some factor in calculating taxes. Tax Assessor Fogarty had mentioned this to him as something which might be adjusted, specifically changing it from $25k to $29k.

Pacella: we can look at it. The tax impact is currently approaching zero.

Astonishingly, the meeting was over by 6:05pm!