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Ogdensburg City School District superintendent says 'initial budget figures are probably $1.7 million apart'

Posted 3/2/17

By THOMAS LUCKIE III OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg City School District Superintendent Timothy Vernsey provided an informal verbal update of the district's 2017-2018 budget outlook at Monday's Board of …

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Ogdensburg City School District superintendent says 'initial budget figures are probably $1.7 million apart'

Posted

By THOMAS LUCKIE III

OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg City School District Superintendent Timothy Vernsey provided an informal verbal update of the district's 2017-2018 budget outlook at Monday's Board of Education meeting.

Vernsey stated that the initial budget figures are probably $1.7 million apart and estimated that $1.2 million of the difference was due to health insurance costs.

"Health insurance is the big issue and is always a big topic in negotiations," he said.

The district is expected to begin contract negotiations with the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) and Ogdensburg Education Association (OEA) this month.

While the district was able to reduce expenses through layoffs and staff reductions in years past, Vernsey was quick to point out that such options are not currently possible without cutting programs or greatly increasing class sizes.

"I will never recommend cutting music and art for kids, that would be very bad," Vernsey said.

It was reported at a board meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 3 that the district would likely need to fill a dozen full-time positions due to impending retirements and Vernsey confirmed that finding a replacement for each position is absolutely necessary.

While the budget outlook seems rather bleak, Vernsey did note that the district's fund balance is currently in better standing than it was approximately a decade ago.

Vernsey also briefly discussed the impossibility of a tax increase in the district.

"We really can't tax, we're the highest taxed school in the county," he said.

A budget to be presented to the voters must be approved by early April. The school budget vote will be held on Tuesday, May 16.