Groton schools balancing budget, tax impact, quality education

The Groton Central School (GCS) Board of Education (BOE) met Feb. 22 for its annual budget workshop, along with Superintendent Margo Martin, Business Manager Cara Stevens and the rest of the GCS administrative team.

I believe many in Groton are aware, but in full disclosure, I am the vice president of the GCS BOE. Thus, I played an active role in the discussion that evening, as the Board strove to lend guidance to what is turning out to be one of the most difficult budget years New York schools have dealt with in more than a decade.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll for almost a year now, as students and faculty alike have navigated the nuances of trying to teach and learn in ways they certainly did not expect to before March of 2020.

Meanwhile, Martin and Stevens have their own challenges to overcome as they work through balancing the GCS budget with all the added costs the pandemic has brought about, while also ensuring that quality education does not suffer as a result.

Using the District Mission, Vision and Core Beliefs as its premise, the purpose of the budget workshop was to arrive at a draft proposal of expenditures and corresponding tax levy for the 2021-22 academic year.

The GCS District Mission State­ment is to “empower all students to reach their fullest potential and thrive in a diverse, ever changing world.” Its Vision Statement is to “ignite the passion for learning and inspire unique pathways to success.”

And its Core Beliefs are: “1) Students are our first priority. No exceptions. 2) All can learn and grow. 3) We encourage creative and innovative thinking. 4) Data informs our decisions. 5) We act with integrity, professionalism, trust, and fairness. 6) All deserve a safe, secure, and nurturing environment. 7) We treat each individual with respect, compassion, and dignity. 8) We promote family and community involvement.”

As Martin and her team prepared the budget to present to the BOE, they made sure that all decisions were guided by and based upon those things, first and foremost. Likewise, the BOE looked frequently at those words displayed on the wall as they considered budget line items poised to potentially be eliminated, which Martin and the team had prioritized in advance for the BOE’s consideration.

There are a number of strategies in building a school budget, such as supporting curriculum and programming that will enable students to develop the skills necessary for success at upper grades, providing opportunity for extracurricular activities so students feel connected to the school community, maintaining faculty and staff compensation at a level that can attract, support and retain the best instructional staff possible, and building and maintaining an infrastructure that allows for districtwide use of digital platforms for learning — just to name a few.

A lot of hard work by Martin and the team went into the budget building, taking all these things into account, prior to the workshop. As the evening progressed, the BOE was presented with pertinent enrollment and other data, an overview of revenue sources, fund balance and reserves, and a very conservative projection of expenditures.

The overall budget picture for GCS is less than positive, due to the unpredictability and ramifications of what is happening with school aid from the governor’s office. Details on that may be found in the GCS January 2021 newsletter on the district website: grotoncs.org.

What can be expected in aid from the state is almost impossible to predict right now, making it imperative to streamline expenses as much as possible without compromising the commitment to Mission, Vision and Core Beliefs, while also keeping the tax levy at a reasonable and considerate level for our community.

The BOE spent considerable time discussing each item in the list Martin strategically presented line by line, in order of priority, with its corresponding percentage increase to the tax levy.

The first item was potentially eliminating a section of UPK, which the BOE ultimately decided would not be in the best interest of the community’s youngest learners, and wholeheartedly endorsed returning that line to the budget.

Next came a discussion regarding the elimination of a teaching position that would result in either one fewer kindergarten classrooms or a shortfall in intervention services. It was decided that this too would be more detrimental to students than the savings warranted. Retaining that position lends flexibility to the administration to determine how students will be best served when the time comes.

The last consideration the BOE discussed at great length was the potential elimination of a school social worker. On the heels of a pandemic, with so many students struggling emotionally, now more than ever, the BOE feels this is a position it cannot be without.

By the end of the exercise, there were numerous other cuts to the budget that will likely need to be made, as the comfort level of the BOE was reached when the potential increase to the tax levy had landed at 2.93%.

This is only the beginning of ongoing discussions and adjustments over the course of the next few weeks before the BOE is required to ratify the final budget in mid-April that it will present to the voters in May.

Groton on the Inside appears weekly. Submit news ideas to Linda Competillo, lmc10@cornell.edu or 607-227-4922.

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Youth Services programs

The Groton Youth Services Program (GYP), in partnership with Rural Youth Services of Cornell Cooperative Extension, has announced its March and April programs.

Groton Food Pantry (GFP) Helpers: Students in grade four and up may offer service at the GFP. Participants may attend all or part of this program, assisting in the weekly operation of providing food to the community. Dinner is provided, and this program counts toward volunteer community service hours. Each Monday March 8 through April 26 from 3 to 6 p.m. Drop-off and pick-up from the GFP, 701 S. Main St.

Outdoor Adventures: Explore the outdoors through different weekly activities enjoying the Groton Memorial Park and hiking trail. Grades three through eight. Tuesdays March 9 through April 27 or Fridays March 5 through April 30, 3 to 5 p.m. Drop-off and pick-up at the Groton Memorial Park, Sykes Street.

Arts of Nature: Focusing artistic talents on the outside world, a variety of artistic disciplines will be explored. Grades four through eight. This program will be held both indoors and outside, depending on weather and activities. Wednesdays March 10 through April 28, 4 to 6 p.m. Drop-off and pick-up at either Groton Memorial Park or the Masonic Lodge, 301 Main St.

Dance Lessons with Camille: Youth basic and advanced dance techniques with an outdoor recital in June. No previous dance experience required. Grades three through eight. Two class times to choose from — Thursdays March 4 through April 29, 4 to 4:45 p.m. or 5 to 5:45 p.m. Masonic Lodge, 301 Main St.

Contact Program Manager Nick Wagner at nw346@cornell.edu with questions. Register at https://t.ly/btHs.