Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - With a number of schools on the low-performance list and the graduation rate below 50 percent, times are already tough in the Syracuse City School District.
The district, which has seen significant cuts in the past two years, is facing a $35 million budget gap without a fund balance to resort to.
The district is hoping that money from Albany will come through, but the state aid proposed by the governor isn’t enough to fill the gap. The district has scaled back as much as it can, but it can’t control many costs, such as pensions, healthcare, and negotiated salaries.
The budget gap is not as big as it was last year, but Syracuse schools have fewer areas that can be cut. State aid is going up, but not quite as much as one might think under the governor’s plan.
“What’s really coming to Syracuse is an additional $5 million in foundation aid, which ironically is exactly how much we’re losing in the federal funding of the jobs bill,” said Syracuse Schools CFO Suzanne Slack.
Slack says it’s probable that more positions will have to be reduced, but 700 have already been lost from Syracuse Schools in the last two budgets alone. Last year, about 225 pink slips were handed out and the district is still paying unemployment benefits for those who haven’t found a new job yet.
"This year it’s not going to be quite as easy. We need to really assess how many teachers we need and what supports do those teachers need,” Slack said.
Unlike past years, the administration is not specifying what positions will need to be cut. Slack says the district can’t use the fund balance either to help plug the gap.
After filling this year’s budget with the fund gap, the district will have only $3 million left in its rainy day fund.
“They’re saying this in Albany and I believe here in Syracuse. They’re waiting for specific school districts to go financially bankrupt, but we are already educationally bankrupt,” Slack said.
She says schools currently aren’t even eligible to apply for millions in competitive grants the governor wants to award high-performing districts.
The district has added some programs and changed the curriculum which they say will help the students, but they'll ultimately need more money from Albany.
