School tax hike eyed for Lisbon

LISBON — Lisbon Central School's Board of Education unveiled a 3.74 percent proposed tax increase in the district's preliminary 2010-11 budget Wednesday evening.

The approximately $10.6 million spending plan, according to Superintendent Erin E. Woods, was "difficult, to say the least," to put together because of the uncertainty of state aid.

Estimated revenues on the proposed budget total about $6.5 million, which factors in the expected $333,377 state aid cut, leaving about $2.8 million to be raised in taxes.

"Typically during this time of the calendar year, we hear optimism about additional state aid," Mrs. Wood said. "This year, we're receiving word that the (projections) are coming in even worse than previously proposed."

Despite all the gloom and doom, Mrs. Woods said, Lisbon is "relatively better off than other local districts" at this time.

The looming retirements of Janet Moore, a Title I reading instructor, and Diane Stromgren, a universal prekindergarten teacher, have helped the district cut costs in the proposed budget.

By eliminating those jobs through attrition, Mrs. Woods said, the district will save more than $65,000 in salaries. Replacing the retirees, she said, would raise the projected levy increase to 5.93 percent.

However, keeping the levy down will come at the expense of the programs that Lisbon has to offer — developmental kindergarten and summer school will be lost.

There also is a proposed loss of an elementary teaching position.

Balancing the tax levy while keeping a $1.2 million fund balance was a goal of the board in dealing with the budget, according to Mrs. Woods.

"It is always our goal to maintain the highest level of student services and nobody wants to see program cuts," she said. "This budget season is likely to be followed by several more difficult years."