The school board meeting revealed that the governor's latest aid projection had blown about a $2.6 million hole in the 2009-10 Gates Chili budget. Given the fact that the local tax levy accounts for about $44.4 million of this year's $81.4 million budget, a $2.6 million shortfall translates into an automatic tax increase of almost 6 percent next year before factoring in any other additional spending.
The 6 percent figure fluctuates from district to district, but it's a good approximation of what most school boards will be up against.
It's a scary figure and, against the backdrop of rising unemployment and ravaged retirement accounts, it's one that demands that the people in charge start working now to contain costs and find ways to lower future expenses.
The NYSPHSAA, then, is trying to do its part to minimize the damage.
But -- yes, there's always a "but" -- there's a reality that has to be addressed. When all is said and done, the interscholastic sports budget for most school districts makes up only about 1 percent of the budget. In Gates Chili, for instance, this year's $874,000 allotment amounts to not quite 1.1 percent of the multi-million budget.
Gates Chili could eliminate sports altogether and it covers just a little more of a third of the deficit. Rinse and repeat, and you have the same story for 600-plus other districts across the state. Don't get me wrong. We should be looking to save money anywhere it makes sense, but there's little cash to be found in the sports budget.
What to save, what to slash
We can slash and burn all we want and not come up with enough in savings to solve the problem. Granted, every dollar saved brings us one step closer to not having to rely on another Ernie Shore bailout, but cutting into sports budgets -- and doing so with mandates from the top -- isn't the answer.
With that in mind, here are six proposals from the list of 13 that should be adopted this week:
