Sullivan West’s
budget will tax

By TOM KANE

JEFFERSONVILLE — The Sullivan West Central School Board will present the 2002-03 budget to voters on May 21 with a 9.9-percent increase in property taxes.

Total spending is $25,247,590, about two percent higher than last year’s figure of $24,698,544. But largely due to cuts in state aid, the tax levy will be $11,430,230, up from last year’s tax levy of $10,395,163.

Polls will be open from 12:00 noon to 9:00 p.m. Residents of Delaware Valley and Jeffersonville areas will vote in their respective schools. Narrowsburg residents will vote in the Tusten Cochecton branch library on Bridge Street.

‘This is absolutely a bare-bones budget, just like last year’s,” said superintendent of schools Michael Johndrow.

Johndrow made these remarks at the public hearing on the budget, which was held in Jeffersonville last Tuesday, May 7.

Additional hearings were held in Narrowsburg on May 9 and at Delaware Valley on May 14.

Although the full-time staff will lose 3.6 teachers, no programs will be cut, Johndrow said.

Two teachers will be cut from the elementary program, one from the high school program and the .6 position from the art department. Five teacher aides will also be cut, he said.

Other cuts were in the athletic department where some assistant coaching positions were eliminated, saving $30,555.

Programs would be saved by slightly increasing the number of students in a class and other methods, Johndrow said.

Because of revenues lost after September 11, the state has drastically cut state aid to all schools in the state.

“We’re going to be operating with $831,874 less state aid than we got last year,” said, Johndrow.

He explained that in the budget process last year, the State Education Department required that the budget be “bare bones” but said that as the year went on, the legislature would increase state aid.

September 11 squelched any chance of that happening.

“So this year’s bare bones budget comes hard upon last year’s bare bones budget,” Johndrow said.

“The teachers’ union is very supportive of this budget under the circumstances,” said Ken Crumley, president of Western Sullivan United Teachers. “We look upon this as our contribution to the president’s war on terrorism.”

Another big reason for the increase in spending—which is 2.2 percent over last year—is a 20-percent increase in insurance costs, according to Elizabeth McKean, district business manager.

If the budget is rejected by voters two times, a revote and contingency budget would have to be adopted. That budget would translate to a 6.5 increase in property taxes, McKean said.