Deer Park Sup: Staff, Co-Curricular Reductions Not Final

Parents and taxpayers concerned about staff and co-curricular reductions in the Deer Park School District will have to wait until next week to find out specific details as administrators put the finishing touches on the 2013/14 budget.

Cuts to staff and co-curricular activities have been floated by administrators, as they grapple with a $2.8 million budget shortfall, though a bump in state aid should help to shorten the gap. 

When asked by a parent for specific figures on the cuts during Tuesday's budget workshop, Superintendent Eva Demyen declined, saying the budget was not yet finalized.

"Nothing has been finalized yet," she said. "I can't give you numbers at this time. We had an increase in state aid and we can play with the tax levy a little bit."

Last month, Demyen estimated that the staff reductions would equal about four percent of workers throughout the district, but said the percentage could change for the better.

The current draft budget calls for some co-curricular activities and clubs to be reduced as a cost-cutting measure, Assistant Superintendent of Business Maguerite Jimenez said Tuesday. Officials did not reveal specific details on which clubs would be reduced. According to Demyen, the club reductions were chosen as a lesser of two evils. 

"We have a plethora of clubs in this district," Demyen said during Tuesday's budget worksession. "We made minor reductions in terms of clubs and I'd rather do that than lose another teacher. I don't know about you, but that's what I'd rather do."

Jimenez said the reductions were chosen based on participation.

In March, the BOE voted to close Abraham Lincoln School at the end of the school year, saving the district an estimated $349,000, with the potential to gain revenue by leasing the building in the future.

Patch reported last week that the district will receive more state aid than originally expected. Administrators are currently hammering out details on how to spend the additional $586,227, which will be presented at the final budget worksession next Tuesday, according to Jimenez.

"By the end of next week's workession, we should be able to say that this is the budget worth adopting the following week," Jimenez said.

Further raising the tax levy is another option under consideration by the BOE. The current draft budget calls for a 2.57 percent increase, though the district is able to propose up to a 3.82 percent hike under New York State's mandated tax cap.

The final budget worksession is set for April 9 at the District Administration Office at 7:30 p.m.

The BOE will adopt the budget on Tuesday, April 16 and the budget vote will take place on Tuesday, May 21.