Potsdam looks at cutting 10 to 12 teachers

POTSDAM — School Superintendent Patrick H. Brady said the district may have to cut a dozen teachers, eliminate as many as seven staff positions and use $1 million in fund balance to close what is projected to be a $2.4 million budget gap for 2010-11.

"To get the budget down, the tax levy down to a 3 percent tax levy increase, it will take about $1.2 million in cuts," Mr. Brady said Thursday. "And that is also using a significant amount of our reserves."

Mr. Brady told members of the district's finance committee that in addition to a $1.2 million cut in state aid, the school is facing rising employee retirement costs and health insurance premiums.

Those categories account for an increase of about $500,000, he said.

"So with the cut in state aid, with these rising costs, with other needs in the district, we started out this process at about a $2.4 million gap or what would be a 24 percent increase in our tax levy if all of that was just put out there," Mr. Brady said. "We know that is unacceptable. That's not going to happen."

So far the district has not said what positions and programs will be cut. Mr. Brady said a detailed list of potential cuts could be made public as early as this week.

"This would mean approximately 10 to 12 teaching jobs. It could mean up to five to seven support staff job cuts to reach that level," Mr. Brady said.

In addition to lost jobs, he warned, programs and services are being eyed for elimination, and larger class sizes likely will be a byproduct of the cuts.

"We are going to have people disagree with the cuts that are on the table," Mr. Brady said. "They are going to think we cut too much, some are going to think we didn't cut enough and some are going to think that our priorities are misaligned."

Mr. Brady said that the district had identified approximately $950,000 in cuts and that over the next several days officials would aim to trim the budget more.

Tentatively, he said, the district is looking at a $27.5 million spending plan for 2010-11 — an increase of about $690,000 over this year's $26.7 million budget.