Oswego School 2016-17 Budget Taking Shape

OSWEGO, NY – The path to the Oswego City School District’s new budget is a bit clearer than things were at this time last year.

Superintendent Dr. Dean Goewey said Tuesday night that he wants to build a budget that focuses on instructional programs and one that is based on only the dollars that the district has.

On Feb. 8, the revenue projection was $77,763,939.

The assumed revenue increases were $516,916 for restoration of the Gap Elimination Adjustment and $563,397 for a 2 percent levy increase, according to the superintendent.

That means, as of March 1, the projected revenue now stands at $78,844,252.

Dr. Goewey said that the district is “pretty confident” that the full amount of GEA funds will be restored.

“These dollars in some of these lines are very fluid. We’re not committed to these dollars yet, but we’re very hopeful that there will be some additional money for the district,” he said.

There may also be some more state funds after the legislature goes through the governor’s budget plan, he added.

The tax levy increase, he explained, “is a decision of the board. That number can go up or down based on what the situation of the district is.”

On Feb. 8, the projected expenses were $82,734,860.

There was a budget gap of $4.9 million.

Everyone in the district since then has worked to find some ways to reduce that figure, the superintendent pointed out.

They’ve been able to identify, through a variety of ways, the reduction of 10 FTEs – $618,877 and 13 FTEs in support staff – $459,129 and extra comp positions – $260,078, and fringe benefits – $350,362.

So the total payroll reduction since Feb. 8 is $1,688,446, Dr. Goewey said.

They have also identified $250,000 in athletics and a $2,000,000 savings in health insurance savings for a total expense reduction of $3,938,446.

That makes the projected expenses $78,796,414 as of march 1.

They are focused on maintaining the essential core instructional program in the district, the opportunities that the students have – “protect the quality of instruction the best we can, but also be responsible to building a budget based on revenues, that isn’t supported by artificial means,” Dr. Goewey told the board.

According to the district’s current figures, they would have in excess of $47,838 in the budget.

“There’s still a lot of moving pieces here. But, I think we’re in really good shape. We have reduced our budget by 4.89 percent from last year,” Dr. Goewey said. “That’s a budget decrease of $4,050,940. The 2016-17 proposed budget is $1,103,586 less than the 2014-15 budget. That doesn’t suggest that the reductions … aren’t painful. They’re very painful.”

He vowed to keep the budget process transparent. And, anyone whose position might be impacted will know before any presentation is made at a public meeting, he added.

He hopes that there will be significant staff reductions due to retirements so as to lessen the harm done to the instructional staff.

The superintendent will give another budget update in the coming weeks “and hopefully by then some of those working parts will have settled in,” he said.

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