BY MATT LINDSEY

North Country This Week

NORWOOD — Norwood-Norfolk Central School will be discussing the addition of a student resource officer and mental health counselor as local schools try to deal with safety and mental health concerns of students.

The tentative budget for 2019-20 is $24,084,254.

“This budget includes no additional staffing,” said NNCS Superintendent Jamie Cruikshank. However, school officials discussed adding a mental health counselor and an SRO, and increase its librarian hours.

“But, the full Board has not yet discussed these additions and we would depend on increases to Foundation Aid to add them,” he said.

NNCS has tentatively agreed on a 1.29 percent tax increase, which complies with the tax cap. This would bring in $84,012 in new revenue.

“The state aid picture isn't complete, yet,” Cruikshank said.

The governor's proposal, which is usually the most conservative, provides about $175,000 in new Foundation Aid revenue. Most of the governor's increases were in expenditure aid, like transportation and building.

“Expenditure aid is predictable as it's based upon our current year expenditures,” he said. “It's the Foundation Aid which we need to keep our eye on.”

As far as big changes in expenditures, NNCS has a health insurance increase of $321,473, which is contractual, Cruikshank said. The district also faces a substantial increase in costs associated with students with disabilities.

By law NNCS has to provide for a child's needs as determined by a committee.

“So, that is somewhat out of our control, too,” he said.