Last month, voters rejected the district's first budget proposal 399-292. The second budget vote is 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the high school and Rockwell School.
View full sizeOnondaga Central Schools Superintendent Joe Rotella outlines the impact of a contingency budget on the district.That was the message delivered at Tuesday night’s Onondaga Central Schools’ budget hearing. District residents gathered at Wheeler School to hear administrators outline a new budget plan.
Last month, voters rejected the district’s first budget proposal 399-292. The second budget vote is 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the high school and Rockwell School.
The new budget comes in at $18,250,598. That is a 1.88 percent increase over the current budget and carries with it a 1.11 percent increase in the tax levy and a 0.98 percent increase in the tax rate.
The previous budget of $18,371,638 would have hiked the tax rate 1.95 percent.
Bill Guptill was one of several residents who gathered in Navarino after the first budget vote to talk about school spending. He said district officials never responded to their budget ideas.
“It’s the feeling of the community that they’re not being listened to,” he said.
School Superintendent Joseph Rotella said the time frame under state law didn’t allow much opportunity to include residents’ ideas.
"I think there’s a lot for us to consider in how we managed the budget," he said after the meeting. "I think we need to work harder to get people out in those earlier stages when we still have time to make changes."
For about two hours, an audience of about 100 people — district residents and employees — listened as Rotella and business administrator Steve Smith explained the new budget plan.
Resident Pat Berry said the first budget was rejected because people believed school officials were not listening to the community’s concerns. It wasn’t a fiscal decision. It was an emotional one, he said.
"Who are you going to take it out on?" he said after the meeting. "You can vote ‘no’. That’s about all you can do. A lot of people voted ‘no’ to send a message."
People had some specific concerns: questioning why the budget cuts two part-time educators, but adds a full-time treasurer. Smith said the budget actually combines two positions.
They also wanted to know what would be cut if the second budget is defeated and the district adopts a contingency budget. Rotella said what would have to be cut hasn’t been determined. He did say that community groups would have to pay a fee for using school facilities.
Rotella said a contingency budget would total $17,991,593, which would be a 0.44 increase. The tax levy would go down 1.77 percent, and the tax rate would drop 1.89 percent.
“I think it was very positive,” Rotella said after the meeting. “I think we learned a lot how to modify the budget process and avoid this next year.”
Contact John Stith at jstith@syracuse.com or 251-5718.