BY KRISTIN D'ALBA

As the economy continues to worsen, New York’s fiscal obstacles are increasing. The state is currently facing a $3.2 billion mid-year budget deficit. In an effort to meet the state’s growing debt, Gov. Paterson released a proposal for a Deficit Reduction Plan. However, the Mamaroneck School District is deeply concerned with the ramifications the monetary cuts will have.

Superintendent Paul Fried said, “Last year State Aid to Mamaroneck was decreased by approximately $695,000 and at this time we are threatened by mid-year cuts which total $481,000.”

Last year, the 2009-2010 school budget faced considerable reductions. Music departments, athletics, supplies and technology funding were diminished. Despite all efforts to maintain programs, 34 positions, 17 of which were teaching positions, were eliminated, and class sizes across the town increased.

 “The district also drastically reduced all non-staffing costs for this year in order to minimize headcount reductions and keep taxes at a level that the community could support,” said Linnet Tse, President of the Mamaroneck Board of Education.

Other cuts came from extracurricular activities offered to students. “A couple of poorly attended clubs were cut,” Fried said.

To compensate for the money lost, English teachers now teach five periods a day as opposed to the four periods they taught last year.

“Our students deserve the very best education possible,” Fried said. “When we operate with fewer teachers class size naturally will rise, and if the numbers go too high the teacher may become less effective in the classroom.”

Regardless of the cutbacks, the district still faced a 3.23 percent budget-to-budget increase. 

In the beginning of October, Paterson called for a $686 million mid-year reduction. This proposal would take approximately half a million dollars away from the already tight budget approved last spring. About 90 percent of the school’s budget is composed of mandated costs, so cuts would further take away from programs.

The main problem with Paterson’s proposal is that there will be no way to compensate for the loss of revenue.

Legally, there is no way Larchmont/Mamaroneck can increase property tax, the main source of its revenue, mid-year.

“Mid-year reductions are especially harmful because we are unable to plan for the sudden decrease in revenue,” Tse said. 

In response to the striking proposal, the community is doing all it can. An active letter writing campaign to State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer and Assemblyman George Latimer was started to inform them of the harm the budget cuts would have on public education.

“Our community has never been one to sit back in times of need,” Fried said, “So I am confident people will speak up on behalf of the district’s children.”

The school will start working on its 2010-2011 budget much earlier this year than it has in the past. On Nov. 30, a meeting will be held for the community called “School Budgeting During Tough Fiscal Times.”  It will take place in the Hommocks Library at 7:30 p.m. It will be an interactive session, and anyone interested is encouraged attend the meeting.

“This year may prove to be even worse than last, putting our district’s fine educational programs in jeopardy,” Fried said. “I must take a proactive stance on the issue and think creatively about solutions that can benefit the students of the district.”