School Budgets: A Rising Trend

It's happening all over the country, all over the state, and definitely throughout Central New York. Schools are making enormous budget cuts, eliminating teachers, and extra-curricular activities because they simply don't have the money, nor do they know how much the state will be giving them.

This was the issue at hand at last night's school budget meeting in Hannibal, a small, rural town about 45 minutes outside Syracuse. Last night, the board unanimously passed the budget at $25,462,989 with a 2.99% tax levy. Because the town has yet to learn how much money it will be receiving from the state, these numbers are still up in the air, and the tax rate (which is comprised of a formula determined by the tax levy and number of assessed homes) is unknown as well.

Kat and I interviewed parents, students, the superintendent, and president of the board, who explained by proposing this budget, the district is asking for enough to get by but not so much that the state wouldn't pass it...he hopes.

But students and parents are hoping for more. So much has been cut from the district in the past few years (marching band, foreign languages, music and English teachers), they said they really can't afford to lose any more. These students are dependent upon their education and extra-curriculars in order to move forward with higher education.

Kat went live with the story at 11pm, and we left the school to return to the station by midnight. It was a late night, but another interesting school budget story that brought gloom to parents and high hopes for an improved economy in the near future.

Last night was an intense night for Hannibal, but it's not unlike anything we've seen in Syracuse City School District, Liverpool, and other districts in the area. A public hearing will take place May 11th, with a final vote on May 18th.